A Heat Pump Quote Checklist You Can Print and Use on Every Quote

Two or three heat pump quotes rarely look alike. One runs to six pages with model numbers and a heat loss report attached; another is a single page with a total at the bottom. This checklist turns every quote into the same set of answers, so you compare like with like rather than total against total.

As a heat pump installer, these are the 20 things I would want to see on any quote for my own house. Print the score sheet, work through it for each quote, and the gaps show up straight away.

How to use this checklist with two or three quotes

• Print the score sheet below, or copy the items onto paper with a column for each quote: A, B and C.
• Work one section at a time across all the quotes, rather than reading each quote start to finish. A gap in one quote then shows up against a quote that fills it.
• Score each item 0, 1 or 2: 2 if it is stated in writing with specifics, 1 if it is vague or only promised verbally, 0 if it is missing.

Landlords and self-builders can use the same sheet. Give every installer identical drawings or property details so the quotes describe the same job. Landlords should also check the quote gives what is needed for an EPC reassessment; self-builders should check it matches the design stage you are at.

The printable score sheet

1. Credentials to confirm before you read the price

Check credentials first. A cheap quote from a company that cannot be certified for the grant is not cheap.

• MCS certification: the company should give its MCS certificate number, which you can check on the MCS website. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant depends on it.
• Consumer code: MCS installers belong to an approved consumer code such as RECC or HIES. The quote should name it and give the membership number.
• Named competence: fitting an unvented cylinder needs the right qualification, and handling refrigerant on split systems needs its own certification. Ask who holds each and whether they will be on site.
• Workmanship warranty and insurance: the installer’s own warranty length, separate from the manufacturer’s, and what happens to it if the company stops trading.

For judging an installer’s track record, references and attitude, see choosing the right heat pump installer. This checklist covers what the paperwork itself should tell you.

2. Has anyone measured your house?

A heat pump has to be sized to the heat your house loses on a cold day. If nobody has measured the house, the size on the quote is a guess, and an undersized or oversized unit costs you in comfort or running costs for years.

• A site visit took place. A video call or a quote from photographs and a postcode is a starting point, not a design.
• A room-by-room heat loss calculation is included, typically to BS EN 12831, listing every room with its design temperature and heat loss in watts. A single kW figure with no working behind it scores 0.
• Radiators are checked against it. A heat pump runs cooler than a boiler, so the quote should show each radiator’s output at the new flow temperature and which need replacing. See underfloor heating or radiators with a heat pump and my radiator guides.
• A design flow temperature and efficiency estimate are stated: the expected seasonal efficiency (SCOP) for your house, not just the unit’s headline figure.

3. What the quote should name

“Supply and install air source heat pump” is not a description. Every component should be identified so you can look it up, and nothing can be swapped quietly.

• Heat pump: make, model, and output in kW, and where the outdoor unit will stand.
• Cylinder: make, model and size in litres, sensible for your household. If the old cylinder is being kept, the quote should say why: many older coils are too small for a heat pump.
• Controls: weather compensation, room thermostat, cylinder control and any app. See smart thermostats for heat pumps before adding your own.
• Pipework: heat pumps often need larger pipes, so the quote should state the size and rough route from the outdoor unit.
• Buffer tank: included or excluded, with a reason either way. See, do you need a buffer tank?

If Quote A names a 200 litre cylinder and Quote B says only “new cylinder”, you do not yet know whether the prices cover the same equipment.

4. Grants, deposits and payment terms

• The grant is shown and deducted: full price, grant and balance on separate lines. Rules differ between England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland: see which heating grants you can claim.
• Deposit amount and protection: stated as a figure or percentage, with how it is protected, for example, through the consumer code or an insurance-backed guarantee.
• Stage payments tied to events: equipment delivered, installation complete, commissioning finished, not calendar dates.
• Validity and price basis: how long the price holds and whether it depends on the grant staying the same. No expiry or basis scores 0.

If you plan to finance the work, check that the payment stages fit the lender’s terms. See how to borrow for a heat pump or insulation.

5. Exclusions and extras that raise the price after you sign

Every quote leaves something out. The better ones say what.

• A written exclusions list. Common exclusions: electrical work or a consumer unit upgrade, making good and decorating, removing the old cylinder and tanks, scaffolding, replacement radiators, and the base for the outdoor unit.
• Provisional sums marked and capped, with a point where the installer asks for your agreement before spending more.
• Radiators, pipework and electrics priced or ruled out. “Radiator changes may be required; price on request” is a gap in the total, and it can be a large one.

Ask each installer to put a figure on every excluded item, so all quotes cover the same ground. A quote that looks £800 cheaper may be £1,500 dearer once the electrics and radiators are added.

Questions to put to each installer

Some points do not fit a score box. Ask these of every installer, in writing if you can, and keep the replies with the quote.

1. “Can I see the heat loss calculation for my house?”A prompt yes is right. Be wary of “we don’t need one, we’ve done hundreds like yours”.
2. “What flow temperature is the system designed for?”You should get a number. A vague answer suggests the system was not designed around your radiators.
3. “Which parts of the quote could change?”An honest installer lists them. “Nothing” is rarely true in an existing house.
4. “Who applies for the grant, and when is it taken off?”The installer should. If you are asked to pay in full and claim it back, ask why.
5. “What if the house doesn’t reach the promised temperatures?”Look for a stated commissioning process and a workmanship guarantee, not reassurance.
6. “What does the manufacturer’s warranty cover, and who handles claims?”Terms vary. See my heat pump warranties comparison.

Answers that should end the conversation

Scoring your quotes and deciding which to take forward

Add up each column. The maximum is 40.

• Look at the section totals too. Full marks for equipment, but nothing for measurement means a specific machine nobody has checked against your house.
• Weak credentials matter most, because a revised quote cannot fix them.
• When two quotes are within a few points, compare prices, but only after adjusting: take the total, add every excluded item, subtract the grant, then compare.
• Before you pay anything, ask the front-runner to confirm every changed line in a revised written quote.

Common questions

Print it and score your quotes

Print this page and score each quote you hold. If you have no quotes yet, I can put you in touch with an MCS-certified installer I work with, and you can score that quote too.