Panels peak in summer, heat pumps in winter
A heat pump works hardest when the house needs most heat, in the coldest months. Solar panels do the opposite. At the best tilt for the city centre, 41°, PVGIS gives each kW of panels 109 kWh in June and 31 kWh in December, and 937 kWh over a year (PVGIS 5.3). December, January and February together bring 12.5% of the year's output; June, July and August bring 35.0%, by our arithmetic.
This guide gives no figure for how much electricity a heat pump uses in a given month. That depends on the house, how well it holds heat, the size of the pump and how the household runs it, and any single number would be a guess. The shape is enough to plan with: the months when a heat pump draws most are the months when a roof makes least, so most of its winter electricity will still come from the grid, whatever size the array is.
| Month | kWh per kW | 4 kW roof (kWh) | Share of the year |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35 | 140 | 3.7% |
| February | 51 | 204 | 5.5% |
| March | 84 | 336 | 9.0% |
| April | 106 | 424 | 11.3% |
| May | 115 | 460 | 12.3% |
| June | 109 | 436 | 11.7% |
| July | 113 | 452 | 12.1% |
| August | 105 | 420 | 11.2% |
| September | 86 | 344 | 9.2% |
| October | 59 | 236 | 6.3% |
| November | 41 | 164 | 4.4% |
| December | 31 | 124 | 3.3% |
Spring and autumn are where the two overlap best. In March a 4 kW roof in the city centre makes about 336 kWh and in October 236 kWh, against 124 kWh in December, by our arithmetic, and these are months in which many homes still need some heating. The weather guide sets the same monthly figures beside the Bingley rain record.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays for the heat pump, not the panels
For a property owner replacing fossil fuel heating, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme gives £7,500 towards an air source or ground source heat pump, or £9,000 until March 2027 where the home is heated by oil or LPG and has no mains gas connection (GOV.UK). It pays nothing towards solar panels, and nothing towards a hybrid system that pairs a heat pump with a gas boiler, so a quote that bundles panels and a heat pump should show which part the grant covers.
The rules are short. There is one grant per property. You must own the property, which can include one you rent out to tenants, and you must be replacing fossil fuel heating such as oil, gas, electric or LPG. Social housing, most new builds and properties that have already had government funding for a heat pump are excluded (GOV.UK). You get quotes from installers certified by MCS; the one you choose applies to Ofgem on your behalf, and the grant is taken off the price and shown on the quote and invoice (GOV.UK).
Panels have their own routes, set out in the help with paying guide, and what solar costs in the district gives the regional prices for the roof itself.
Bradford Council's warning about follow-up offers
Bradford Council, working with Better Homes Bradford and Warm Low Living, has delivered solar PV and battery storage installations to eligible households across the district under the government-funded Warm Homes: Local Grant. GOV.UK sets the grant's national tests: a privately owned home in England with an EPC of D to G, and a household income that is usually £36,000 or less unless the home is in a qualifying postcode or someone receives certain benefits (GOV.UK). The council says that some of those residents were approached soon after their installation by separate companies offering heat pumps at little or no cost, sometimes with claims about heating bills. Those offers, it says, are not connected to the council, Better Homes Bradford or Warm Low Living, or to the grant, in any way, and the council does not endorse them (Bradford Council).
The council adds that its installation teams do not pass residents' details to third parties, and that agreeing to the solar and battery installation does not commit anyone to further work, from the council or from anyone else. Its advice before agreeing to any further offer is to take your time; to check the installer yourself on the MCS and TrustMark websites rather than relying on certificates shown at the door; to ask how the property was assessed, because a genuine air source installation needs a proper heat loss survey; to ask in writing whether the offer is funded through a recognised scheme such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme; and to bear in mind that an air source heat pump does not suit every home, and in some can cost more to run than a modern gas central heating system.
If you have already agreed to something and have doubts, the council points to West Yorkshire Trading Standards for independent advice, and notes that most doorstep and distance sales agreements include a 14-day cooling-off period (Bradford Council; Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013). Its energy team will also check whether an approach is genuinely connected to the grant scheme; the contact details are on the council's notice.
Checking a heat pump installer
The checks are the same whether the offer came from a knock at the door or from your own search. Look the installer up on the MCS installer search for heat pumps, not just solar, because the Boiler Upgrade Scheme only works through an installer certified by MCS. Check TrustMark and the consumer code the installer belongs to, such as the RECC or HIES, on those bodies' own sites.
Ask for the heat loss survey in writing and for the quote to show the grant deducted. Ofgem may contact you to confirm the installer is acting for you, and MCS may carry out its own checks, GOV.UK says, so a seller who discourages either is a reason to stop. Ask a seller for its full company name and address and check them against the MCS listing yourself; a certificate shown on a phone or a printed card at the door is not the same as a listing you have looked up, which is the council's point. The installer checklist covers the rest.
Telling Northern Powergrid about both
A heat pump and a solar system go on the same supply, and Northern Powergrid needs to hear about each. For the heat pump, its page says that in most cases the installer can confirm the installation meets its notification criteria, fit it and notify within 28 days; where it does not, the installer must apply before connecting the equipment (Northern Powergrid). Small solar systems are notified separately, within 28 days of connection, and a battery can push a system into the route where an application comes first. Northern Powergrid's application also asks about other equipment already in the house, such as heat pumps and electric vehicle charge points, so the second installer needs to know about the first. If the two are fitted by different firms, each is responsible for its own equipment, so ask each installer what they have sent and keep copies together; the network guide sets out the routes side by side.
Planning the two together
Start with the house rather than the kit. Only 37.3% of Bradford homes with an EPC reach band C or above (ONS), and the council's own warning is that a heat pump does not suit every home. The older homes guide covers insulation and the EPC.
When one company quotes for both, ask it to:
- price the panels and the heat pump separately, with the grant shown against the heat pump only;
- show that it is MCS certified for heat pumps as well as for solar, because the installer search lists each technology on its own;
- say who will tell Northern Powergrid about each piece of equipment, and send you copies;
- put any claim about running costs or heating bills in writing, with the assumptions behind it.
If both go ahead, accept that the panels will not heat the house in January. Their summer surplus can be exported, which the export guide covers, and a battery can move daytime output into the evening, as the battery guide explains, but neither carries summer sunshine into winter. Keep the order of the paperwork in mind too: GOV.UK says the installer applies for the heat pump grant and must fit and commission the pump within 120 days of applying (GOV.UK), so the grant comes first, and the network hears about each piece of equipment through its own route.