If you have seen "heat pump" in the news and "air conditioning" on a leaflet and wondered whether they are the same thing, the honest answer is: partly.
A split-system air conditioner is a heat pump
An air conditioner moves heat from one place to another using a refrigerant. In summer it moves heat out of your room. Modern units can also run in reverse, which means they take heat from the outside air and move it into the room. That reverse mode is exactly what a heat pump does. Moving heat takes much less electricity than making it, which is why a heat pump can deliver several times more warmth than an ordinary electric heater uses.
What people usually mean by "heat pump" in the UK
When the news or the government talks about replacing gas boilers with heat pumps, it usually means an air-to-water heat pump. That is a different type. It heats water for your radiators or underfloor heating and for your hot water, which involves plumbing, controls and often new radiators. An air-to-air heat pump, which is what a split system is, heats the air in the room instead. Government grants for heat pumps change from time to time, so this guide does not state amounts. At the time of writing (October 2026), the GOV.UK page for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme lists air-to-air heat pumps as well as air-source and ground-source systems, and sets conditions on eligibility and equipment. Grants through the scheme go through an MCS-certified installer, who applies on your behalf, so ask any installer whether they are MCS certified before you assume a grant is available. Read the current terms on GOV.UK: Boiler Upgrade Scheme, what you can get before you rely on any grant.
What we fit
We fit split-system air conditioning: air-to-air units that cool in summer and heat in winter. This guide cannot say whether a particular job would qualify for a grant; that is a question for an MCS-certified installer and for GOV.UK.
When a split system suits
- A bedroom you cannot sleep in during a heatwave.
- A loft conversion, garden room, conservatory or home office that is too hot in summer and expensive to warm in winter.
- A room that is not well served by your central heating.
- When you want cooling as well as heating.
Can it replace your boiler?
Both types of heat pump can heat a home, and which suits depends on the house: its size, how well it is insulated, the pipework and radiators it already has, whether you want hot water from the same system, and how you live. An air-to-water system heats radiators and hot water. An air-to-air system heats the air in the rooms it serves and does not heat your hot water. A survey of the property is what settles it.
Running costs
Both types run on electricity and both are more efficient than a plain electric heater. How much a particular unit costs to run depends on the unit, the room, how well it is insulated and how you use it, so we do not quote a figure blind. At survey we show you the rated input of the unit we are proposing, so you can work out an hourly cost at your own electricity rate.
Next step
If you have a room in mind, a free survey will tell you what size of unit it needs and where it would go. See how air conditioning installation works or ring us on 07942 371822.