Working file M3.2
Ground-source heat pump cost (UK 2026)
Ground-source heat pump cost: installed cost range with each end sourced, BUS grant treatment, payback shape.
Cost in 2026
Ground-source heat pump cost (UK 2026). The published installed range in 2026 is £18,000 to £35,000 installed (GSHPA publisher and MCS data). BUS grant £7,500 applies. Both ends of that range are stated rather than collapsed to a midpoint, because the spread reflects real differences in scope, access and grant eligibility rather than installer mark-up.
What drives the spread
- Ground array: slinky vs vertical borehole. Borehole is the urban option, slinky needs garden space.
- Drilling permit and borehole geology.
- Cylinder, buffer tank and indoor pipework.
- Delivered SCOP routinely 3.8 to 4.2, outperforming ASHP on annual running cost.
Where it sits in the PAS 2035 sequence
Where land or borehole rights are available, GSHP often beats ASHP on a 15-year horizon.
Surveyed 22 June 2026. Ofgem Q3 2026 cap applied (gas 7.33p, elec 26.11p, gas standing 29.04p). Next scheduled review 26 September 2026 (Q4 cap publication). [ref M3.2]
By Oliver Wakefield-Smith, Founder, Digital Signet. Corrections to oliver at digitalsignet dot com.