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Heat pumps
The home notebook

Less complicated. More understood.

Useful explanations for the systems that look after your home. Search, or browse by what’s happening, your brand or a funding scheme.

Question pages · advice

  1. Are heat pumps worth it?
  2. How does a heat pump work?
  3. Do heat pumps work in old houses?
  4. Air source or ground source: which heat pump do you need?
  5. Do you need solar panels or a battery for a heat pump?
  6. Do heat pumps work in cold weather?
  7. Are heat pumps noisy?
  8. What happens to a heat pump in a power cut?
  9. How much does a heat pump cost, and what grants can I get?

14 guides · all topics

Listen & learn

Why is my heat pump making that noise?

Hum, whoosh, click or rattle? Start with what you can hear.

Making a noise
Read the guide →
P1
Understand the display

Mitsubishi Ecodan error codes

The official meaning, a plain-English explanation and your next step.

Error codeMitsubishi Electric
Read the guide →
7H
Understand the display

Daikin 7H: insufficient water flow

What the controller detected, safe checks and when to call an engineer.

Error codeDaikin
Read the guide →
The everyday extraordinary

How a heat pump works

Follow warmth from the outside air into your home.

Getting to know it
Read the guide →
A frosty morning

Frost on the unit? Defrost, explained

Why a heat pump ices up on cold mornings and what normal looks like.

Not heating
Read the guide →
Safe checks first

No hot water: what to check before you call

Controls, schedules and the cylinder — without removing any covers.

No hot water
Read the guide →
A home-first approach

Planning an installation

Understand what belongs in your home assessment.

Getting one
Read the guide →
Plan your next chapter

Funding your next chapter

Find official grant information for your part of the UK.

Boiler Upgrade SchemeHome Energy Scotlandnidirect
Read the guide →
Scotland

Home Energy Scotland: where to start

Grants and loans north of the border, from the official advice service.

Home Energy Scotland
Read the guide →
Think it through

Paying for a heat pump

Questions to ask before you borrow, with links to MoneyHelper.

MoneyHelper
Read the guide →
Bills & behaviour

Is my heat pump using too much energy?

Flow temperatures, schedules and the settings that cost you.

High energy use
Read the guide →
Brand guide

Daikin Altherma: a homeowner’s guide

Controls, service intervals and where to find your model number.

Daikin
Read the guide →
Where the money goes

How much does it really cost to install a heat pump?

Where the money goes in a £14,000 installation — and why the gap between the heat pump’s price and the quote isn’t profit.

Getting oneBoiler Upgrade Scheme
Read the guide →
Before the floorboards come up

Do I need to replace my pipework for a heat pump?

Why “28 mm throughout” isn’t a rule, how to check each section of pipe, and a pipe sizing quick reference.

Getting one
Read the guide →

Every guide cites its source.