How Much Does a Heat Pump Cost in Ireland?

Heat pump cost breakdown: where the money goes

A heat pump quote is more than the unit itself. For a typical air to water installation in an Irish 3-bed home, the full price splits like this:

Quotes vary between installers for the same house — always compare at least three. Prices assume a home with reasonable insulation; poorly insulated homes may need insulation work first, which is not included above.

Heat pump prices by system type

Air to water heat pump cost

Air to water is the standard choice for Irish homes and the price most people mean when they ask what a heat pump costs. A fully installed air to water system runs €9,000–€14,000 depending on house size, whether your cylinder and radiators need replacing, and the brand. It heats both your radiators (or underfloor heating) and your hot water, and qualifies for the full SEAI grant.

Air to air heat pump cost

Air to air units cost €3,000–€5,000 installed but heat rooms directly and do not produce hot water. An SEAI grant of up to €7,500 (€3,500 for apartments) applies when the system replaces your main fossil fuel or electric storage heating — supplementary single-room units do not qualify, so for a one-room add-on the full price gap versus a grant-aided air to water system still applies.

Heat pump cost by house size

The bigger the home, the bigger the heat pump (and the more radiators that may need upgrading). Typical installed prices before the grant:

Sizing is based on a heat loss calculation your installer performs during the survey — an oversized heat pump costs more upfront and cycles inefficiently, so a proper survey matters more than the headline kW figure.

Heat pump installation cost

Installation and labour accounts for €3,000–€5,000 of the total price. An air to water installation takes 2–3 days and covers mounting the outdoor unit, plumbing it to your heating circuit and cylinder, electrical work, commissioning, and system balancing. Ground source installations cost more because of the groundworks — trenching for horizontal loops or drilling boreholes can add €3,000–€6,000 on its own.

Factors that push installation cost up:

• Replacing an old gravity-fed system with a pressurised one
• Long pipe runs between the outdoor unit and cylinder
• Switching from a back boiler or solid fuel system
• Upgrading several undersized radiators at once
• Electrical consumer unit upgrades in older homes

To claim the SEAI grant, the installation must be carried out by an SEAI-registered contractor. Browse heat pump installers by county to compare local options.

SEAI grant: what you actually pay

The SEAI heat pump grant increased to a maximum of €12,500 on 3 February 2026. It has three components:

Eligibility: home built before 2021, SEAI-registered contractor, approved heat pump model, and BER assessments before and after. Full details in the SEAI grants guide, or check your eligibility.

Heat pump running costs

A heat pump produces 3–4 kWh of heat for every 1 kWh of electricity, which is why running costs undercut oil and gas despite electricity's higher unit price. For an average 3-bed home:

A night-rate or smart electricity tariff cuts running costs further, since a heat pump can heat your water and pre-warm the house on cheap overnight rates. Pairing with solar panels can cover 40–60% of the heat pump's electricity use.

Annual servicing adds €100–€200 — cheaper than a boiler service, with no combustion or flue to inspect.

Is a heat pump worth the cost?

Replacing oil heating, a heat pump saves €1,000–€1,500 a year, so a net cost of €1,500–€6,000 after the grant pays back in roughly 2–6 years. Replacing gas, savings are smaller (€500–€900/year) and payback runs 5–10 years. Before the February 2026 grant increase, payback was typically 5–12 years — the €12,500 grant has cut it dramatically.

There's also a property value effect: a heat pump typically lifts your BER by 2–3 grades, and each grade improvement adds roughly €5,000–€10,000 to home value. See the BER guide for details.

For the full technology guide — how they work, types, brands, and installation process — see our main heat pumps Ireland guide.

Heat pump cost vs boiler replacement

Most people price a heat pump at the moment their old boiler fails, so the fair comparison is not the heat pump against doing nothing — it's the net heat pump cost against the boiler you would otherwise have to buy:

The comparison assumes you qualify for the full grant, which requires replacing a fossil fuel system in a pre-2021 home with adequate insulation. If you only qualify for the €6,500 unit grant, the heat pump's upfront cost rises but the running cost advantage over oil and gas stays the same.

Heat Pump Cost FAQ

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