Heat pumps in Bradford: stone houses, Saltaire and conservation areas

Saltaire, the model village built around Salts Mill, is a World Heritage Site, and Bradford Council manages planning protection for it. In England, an air source heat pump on land within a World Heritage Site must not be installed on a wall or roof that fronts a highway, or be nearer to any highway bounding the property than any part of the building, if it is to count as permitted development. Many of Saltaire's houses are also listed, and listed buildings have no permitted development rights for heat pumps.

In practice, most Saltaire homes will need listed building consent, planning permission or both before an outdoor unit goes on. Speak to the council's planning team early, and choose an installer who will prepare the drawings and noise assessment an application needs.

Source: bradford.gov.uk · planningportal.co.uk

The same road-facing restriction applies in conservation areas, which cover many historic centres and villages in the Bradford district. Rear yards and gardens are therefore the usual positions. On the steep, stone terraces common in Bradford, a rear yard may be small and overlooked by several neighbours, which makes the MCS noise assessment the deciding factor.

• is the house in Saltaire, in a conservation area, or listed
• rear position that avoids road-facing walls
• noise at the nearest neighbour's window
• space inside for a hot water cylinder
• planning or listed building consent in place before work starts

Solid stone walls lose more heat than modern cavity walls, and many are thick and uneven. They also need to stay breathable, so insulation has to be chosen with care and some internal insulation products can cause damp in old stone. A heat pump can still work well, but the installer's room-by-room heat loss calculation will usually call for larger radiators than a similar-sized cavity-walled house.

Where lofts are uninsulated or windows very draughty, those are usually cheaper to fix first and reduce the size of the heat pump.

Owners replacing fossil fuel heating can use the Boiler Upgrade Scheme through an MCS-certified installer. The Warm Homes: Local Grant, delivered through councils in England, can help eligible low-income households in privately owned homes; check Bradford Council's current information for local delivery. Heat pump installations in homes are zero-rated for VAT at present.

Tell us about your home and whether it is in Saltaire or a conservation area if you know. We offer the request without your name to installers covering Bradford, and one installer can buy it. We email you the installer's name, address and phone number before your details are passed on. The service is free.