Common situation
Replacing the boiler but keeping the radiators: how to heat, cool and run hot water
A heat pump on the existing radiators for heating and hot water, with cooling added only in the bedrooms — because radiators cannot cool.
Best fit for this home
A heat pump on your radiators, plus fixed AC where you need cooling
One system replaces the boiler and heats the water; separate wall units cool the rooms that overheat
Good fit. Heat pump + radiators is a close second — a survey would settle it.
This is the best fit because you're considering replacing your main heating, you want to keep your radiators and only a couple of areas need cooling.
- Keep
- your radiators
- Add
- an air-to-water heat pump · one indoor wall unit · 2 outdoor units · a hot-water cylinder
- Remove
- your gas boiler
- Heating
- The heat pump heats the whole home through your existing radiators
- Cooling
- The bedrooms
- Hot water
- Included, through a hot-water cylinder heated by the heat pump
- Radiators
- Stay, fed by the new heat pump
- Indoors
- A hot-water cylinder, your radiators, and wall units in the cooled rooms
- Outdoors
- 2 outdoor positions, subject to survey — a heat-pump unit at ground level plus at least one ac condenser
- Work
- Significant: two installations, best planned together
Cost
£££
The largest of these projects: whole-system replacement and significant building work.
The air-conditioning part — 1 indoor unit, 1 outdoor — estimates at £2,500–£5,100 installed.
Cost tiers are Airva's own assessment of these routes relative to each other, not a quotation. We don't publish a whole-home price range — an installer survey sets the price.
Why this won: Because only a couple of areas need cooling, this does more of what you asked for than Heat pump + radiators.
- Replaces your main heating, which is what you're considering
- Keeps your radiators
- Targets the areas that actually overheat
- Suits the outdoor space you have
Every answer below is filled in. Change one and the plan updates.
The answers behind this plan
- Replacing main heating
- Gas boiler
- Radiators
- Cylinder on the boiler
- Keep radiators, replace boiler
- Cooling: bedrooms
- Detached
- 4 bed, 2 floors
- Some work fine
- Wall units fine
- Outside: ground beside the house
- One outdoor unit preferred
- Permanent changes OK
- Mid-range project
The alternatives, and how they differ
Good alternative
A heat pump that replaces your boiler, keeping your radiators
- ↔ No cooling at all
Heating: the heat pump heats the whole home through your existing radiators or underfloor pipes. Cooling: none — radiators cannot cool a room. Hot water: included, through a hot-water cylinder heated by the heat pump.
Read about this →Possible, not our first choice
Concealed ducted heating and cooling, with a separate cylinder
- ↔ Heats through concealed ducts instead
- ↔ Uses a cylinder for hot water
- ↔ Stops using the radiators
Heating: ducted air handles the heating, zoned across the home. Cooling: the bedrooms. Hot water: from your cylinder — kept if you have one, otherwise added.
Read about this →What would change this plan?
- If you wanted to keep your heating exactly as it is → Keep your existing heating and add concealed AC
- If nothing but a grille could show → A heat pump that replaces your boiler, keeping your radiators
Could a grant apply?
Requires installer confirmation. This plan replaces your main heating, so a grant may be in play. Three quick questions decide the position.
- Which nation the property is in
- Whether you own it
- Whether it is a new build
What an installer must confirm
- Which radiators need upsizing at heat-pump flow temperatures
- Whether the electrical supply and consumer unit can carry the new load
- That the installer is MCS-certified, if you want to pursue a grant
- A whole-home survey: heat loss room by room, pipe runs and equipment positions
This plan replaces your main heating, so government support may be in play. It is claimed by an MCS-certified installer, never by you directly.
Generated by Airva's planner engine, version 2.0, from the answers above. An initial guide, not a technical system design or formal quotation. Cost tiers are Airva's own assessment of these routes relative to each other, not a quotation. We don't publish a whole-home price range — an installer survey sets the price.
Questions
Replacing the boiler but keeping the radiators: what is the best system?
A heat pump on your radiators, plus fixed AC where you need cooling. This is the best fit because you're considering replacing your main heating, you want to keep your radiators and only a couple of areas need cooling. It keeps your radiators. It adds an air-to-water heat pump, one indoor wall unit, 2 outdoor units, a hot-water cylinder.
What would it cost?
The largest of these projects: whole-system replacement and significant building work. The air-conditioning part of the plan estimates at £2,500–£5,100 installed. Cost tiers are Airva's own assessment of these routes relative to each other, not a quotation. We don't publish a whole-home price range — an installer survey sets the price.
What would change the recommendation?
If you wanted to keep your heating exactly as it is, it would be keep your existing heating and add concealed ac. If nothing but a grille could show, it would be a heat pump that replaces your boiler, keeping your radiators.
Would a grant apply?
Requires installer confirmation. This plan replaces your main heating, so a grant may be in play. Three quick questions decide the position. Still to confirm: Which nation the property is in; Whether you own it; Whether it is a new build.