How much does a heat pump cost to run in the UK? (2026)

A typical 3-bedroom semi in the UK costs roughly £895 a year to heat with an air source heat pump at standard 2026 price-cap rates. The exact figure depends on how much heat your home needs, the efficiency of the heat pump, and the price you pay for electricity. Smaller, well-insulated homes pay less, and a dedicated heat-pump electricity tariff can cut the bill by close to half.

The simple formula

Working out a heat pump running cost only needs three numbers.

Annual running cost = annual heat demand (kWh) / SCOP x electricity price.

SCOP is the seasonal coefficient of performance, the heat pump's efficiency averaged across a year. A SCOP of 3.5 means the unit delivers 3.5 units of heat for every 1 unit of electricity it draws. A typical well-installed system sits in the 3.0 to 4.0 range, and 3.5 is a fair figure to plan around.

Using the Ofgem price cap for 1 July to 30 September 2026, electricity costs 26.11p per kWh on a standard Direct Debit tariff. So a home needing 12,000 kWh of heat a year works out as 12,000 / 3.5 = 3,429 kWh of electricity, then 3,429 x 26.11p = about £895 a year.

Typical annual cost by home type

The table below shows a 3-bedroom home in different property styles, all at SCOP 3.5 and 26.11p per kWh. The base heat demand for a 3-bed home is 12,000 kWh, adjusted by a property factor for the building type.

Property type (3-bed)	Heat demand (kWh)	Electricity used (kWh)	Running cost a year
Flat	9,000	2,571	£671
Terraced	10,800	3,086	£806
Semi-detached	12,000	3,429	£895
Bungalow	12,600	3,600	£940
Detached	14,400	4,114	£1,074

Typical cost by number of bedrooms

Size matters just as much as style. The next table holds the property type steady at semi-detached and varies the number of bedrooms.

Bedrooms (semi-detached)	Heat demand (kWh)	Electricity used (kWh)	Running cost a year
1 bed	6,000	1,714	£448
2 bed	9,000	2,571	£671
3 bed	12,000	3,429	£895
4 bed	16,000	4,571	£1,194
5+ bed	20,000	5,714	£1,492

What drives the bill

Three things move the cost up or down.

Heat demand

This is how much warmth your home loses and therefore needs to replace. A large, leaky detached house can need more than double the heat of a small flat. Good insulation, draught-proofing and lower thermostat settings all reduce demand, and the saving applies whatever the heating system.

SCOP, the efficiency

The higher the SCOP, the less electricity you buy for the same heat. A system running at SCOP 4.0 instead of 3.0 cuts the electricity used by a quarter. SCOP depends on the heat pump itself, how well it is sized and set up, and how warm you ask the system to run. Lower flow temperatures, around 35 to 45C, give a higher SCOP.

Electricity price

You pay for every unit of electricity at your tariff rate. On the standard cap that is 26.11p per kWh, but heat-pump and time-of-use tariffs can be much lower, which is the single biggest lever on the running cost.

How to cut your running cost

Move to a heat-pump tariff

Several suppliers offer cheaper electricity aimed at heat pumps, often around 13p to 15p per kWh. For the 3-bed semi above, that takes the running cost from about £895 down to roughly £450 to £510 a year. This is the largest saving available to most homes.

Improve insulation

Reducing heat demand lowers the bill directly. Loft and cavity wall insulation, better glazing and draught-proofing all help, and they let the heat pump run at a lower flow temperature, which lifts the SCOP too.

Get a high-quality install

A well-sized system with correctly set flow temperatures and good controls can reach a SCOP of 4.0 or more. A rushed install running too hot may struggle to beat 3.0. Choosing an experienced MCS-certified installer pays back every year the system runs.

The bottom line

A heat pump in a typical 3-bed semi costs around £895 a year to run at standard 2026 cap prices, with smaller homes paying less and larger ones more. The bill is set by heat demand, the SCOP and the electricity price, and the fastest way to cut it is a dedicated heat-pump tariff alongside good insulation and a careful install. All figures here are estimates based on the Ofgem price cap and will vary with your specific home, install and tariff.