A home with no gas can use a reverse-cycle split to heat and cool the rooms it serves. That is air-to-air heating, as Energy Saving Trust describes it. The split does not make hot water. Immersion, a cylinder, or a water heat pump remains a separate decision. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is not for a cooling-led install. Confirm the electrical supply before the price is treated as final, and use an F-gas certified company. In England, check Planning Portal conditions for the outdoor unit.
Heating capacity on a cold day
No gas usually means electric room heat already: panel heaters, storage heaters, or an existing heat pump. A split can take over the rooms you put indoors in, with a thermostat and a heating capacity that falls as the outdoor air gets colder. Ask for heating capacity at a stated low outdoor temperature, not only the headline cooling kW.
A hallway head and a shut bedroom
Whole-house comfort still means enough indoor units for the rooms you shut. A hallway head does not heat a closed bedroom. It can heat the rooms that have indoor units. It does not heat closed rooms with no unit.
Taps that stay on the immersion
People coming off a gas combi sometimes expect one box to do taps and rooms. An air-to-air unit has no cylinder coil and no hot-water outlet. If taps are on an immersion now, they stay on an immersion until you choose a water-heating system. Say that on the enquiry so the quote does not pretend otherwise.
- The split heats air in the rooms it serves.
- Hot water is a separate appliance.
- A cooling-led quote is not a BUS grant.
Whole-home grant rules on a summer bedroom job
If you want a grant for whole-home heating, read the scheme rules and use an installer who can say whether this design meets them. Do not staple a Boiler Upgrade Scheme assumption onto a job that is really one or two rooms of summer cooling. Whole-home heating grants have their own tests, including who applies.
Cookers, immersions and the cut-out
All-electric homes already carry cookers, immersions and heaters. Adding splits is normal when the numbers are small. A unit in every room can be more than the cut-out was meant to carry. An electrician, and the distribution network operator where the supply itself is the limit, should confirm that before you order a whole-house set.
Neighbour noise once a second outdoor unit appears
Outdoor siting is the usual neighbour and planning question. In England the Planning Portal sets out the air source heat pump conditions, including limits that matter more once a second outdoor unit appears.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a bigger electrical supply?
Sometimes, once you are heating many rooms this way. A couple of small splits is a normal check for an electrician. A whole-house bank may need the network operator. There is no amp ceiling on this page.
Core buying guides
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How this guide was prepared
This guide was written by the Local AC Installers Editorial Team. We compare official guidance, legislation and established consumer information, separate general information from project-specific advice, and show publication dates and sources. We do not accept installer accreditation claims at face value.