A heat pump heats your home with electricity by extracting heat from the outside air, the ground or the ventilation air and transferring it at a higher temperature to the central heating water. That only works well if the appliance suits the home. This article helps you choose and shows which tradesperson does which part of the work. Whether your radiators can stay or underfloor heating is a better fit is covered in detail in Underfloor heating or radiators: what suits your home and heat source.
Hybrid or all-electric: the difference
A hybrid heat pump works together with your existing central heating boiler. The heat pump supplies most of the heat for space heating, and the boiler steps in when it is very cold outside, when the house needs to warm up quickly and for hot tap water. The installation usually consists of an outdoor unit, a small indoor unit next to the boiler and the existing radiators. So you keep a gas connection.
An all-electric heat pump, also called a fully electric heat pump, takes over both space heating and hot tap water. The central heating boiler disappears, and with it, as a rule, the gas consumption for heating. Most models come with a hot water cylinder, making the indoor unit roughly the size of a tall fridge; it usually goes where the old boiler was, or otherwise in, for example, a storeroom, utility room or extension.
Milieu Centraal (the Dutch environmental information centre) describes the hybrid heat pump as suitable for homes with moderate insulation; for a reasonably to well-insulated home, according to Milieu Centraal, an all-electric heat pump is the better choice.
Which heat source: air, ground or ventilation air
Heat pumps are also classified by the source they extract heat from:
- Air-to-water heat pump. Extracts heat from the outside air and transfers it to the heating water. This is the most common type in existing homes. There are versions with a separate outdoor and indoor unit (split) and versions with all components in one appliance (monoblock). The outdoor unit is similar in size to that of an air conditioner and contains a fan, which makes its location important.
- Ground-source heat pump. Extracts heat from the ground via a borehole or loop in the soil. Because the ground cools down less than the outside air, the efficiency is higher according to Milieu Centraal, but installation is more invasive. With a ground source you can also cool economically in summer, and according to Milieu Centraal a ground source lasts longer than an outdoor unit. There is no outdoor unit, so no fan noise outside.
- Exhaust-air heat pump. Extracts heat from the air that the mechanical ventilation extracts from the home and replaces the ventilation unit. This type only suits homes with mechanical extraction; with balanced ventilation, according to Milieu Centraal, it serves no purpose. The amount of heat from ventilation air is limited, so this type often works together with a central heating boiler or another source.
Is your home suitable?
A heat pump supplies central heating water at a lower temperature than a boiler. Milieu Centraal gives roughly 45 to 55 degrees for a heat pump, compared with 60 to 80 degrees for a boiler. The house must still stay warm at those temperatures, so the home has to retain heat and the heat emitters must be large enough.
Insulation. For an all-electric heat pump, according to Milieu Centraal, the home must be at least reasonably insulated: roof and floor insulation, an insulated cavity wall and HR++ glazing. With a hybrid heat pump good insulation is not a strict requirement, but the better you insulate, the less often the boiler needs to step in and the more gas you save. Which insulation measure will bring you the most is explained in Improving your energy label: which measures really count.
The heating test. For homes with a high-efficiency (HR) boiler, Milieu Centraal offers a simple test: during the heating season, set the boiler's flow temperature to 50 degrees, only for the heating water and not for tap water, and keep the radiators on in the rooms you normally heat. If the house stays comfortably warm even during a cold spell, the home is probably ready for a heat pump; if not, more insulation or a larger emitter surface is needed first.
The installer's calculation. The test is a first indication. A good installer will also calculate the home's heat loss, preferably room by room, and use that to determine the heat pump's capacity and whether radiators need to be replaced. Milieu Centraal calls a calculation of the required capacity in the quote a good sign.
Hybrid as an intermediate step, and how the rules stand
If you have not yet insulated well throughout or have a fairly new boiler, you will often opt for a hybrid heat pump first. You then save gas immediately, and once the insulation and emitters are in order, the step to all-electric can follow later.
For some years there was talk of an obligation to install at least a hybrid heat pump when replacing a central heating boiler from 2026. Those plans did not go ahead. In October 2026, however, the cabinet announced that from 2029 it wants to introduce a smart hybrid heat pump as the standard when a central heating boiler is replaced, for homes that are not or will not be connected to a heat network. Those plans are still being worked out and, at the time of writing, have not yet been set down in legislation. Check the current position on rijksoverheid.nl.
Noise from the outdoor unit
An outdoor unit contains a fan and a compressor, and these make noise, especially when the heat pump runs at full power in cold spells. According to Milieu Centraal most people do not find the noise disturbing, but a poorly chosen location can cause annoyance for you or the neighbours.
There are also legal limits. For a heating or cooling installation placed outside a home, such as the outdoor unit of a heat pump, the noise level may not exceed 40 dB if the home directly adjoins another home. For homes on different plots, that level applies at the plot boundary; for homes on the same plot, such as in a block of flats, it applies at an openable window or door of a habitable room of the neighbours. This is set out in the Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving (Bbl, the Dutch Building Decree): for new builds in Article 4.107(2) and Article 4.108(3), and for installation at an existing home in Article 5.14(2). The installer must therefore choose a location and a model that meet that limit. The government provides a calculation tool for this, and the noise is calculated at the maximum speed of the chosen setting of the installation.
Practical points to discuss with the installer:
- a location away from the property boundary and from bedroom windows, yours and the neighbours';
- not in a corner or recess, where the sound reflects;
- anti-vibration mounts or a solid, decoupled base, so that the unit does not transmit vibrations to the façade;
- an acoustic enclosure approved by the manufacturer;
- a quiet mode for the evening and night, if the model has one.
Talk to the neighbours beforehand if the unit will be close to their garden or windows.
Where may the outdoor unit go: permit, listed building and VvE
A heat pump or air conditioner that stands on the ground is permit-free if it is no higher than 1 metre and its area does not exceed 2 square metres (Article 2.29(r) of the Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving). For a unit on the façade or on the roof, it depends on the municipality's omgevingsplan (environmental plan); according to IPLO (the government information point for the living environment), the starting point in the transitional rules of the environmental plan is that a permit is required, but a unit that does not increase the building volume may be exempt; the municipality assesses this. Whether stricter rules apply at the front or on a side façade facing the street than at the rear varies per environmental plan. So always do the vergunningcheck (permit check) in the Omgevingsloket (the national environment and planning portal) first, or ask the municipality. More on permit-free building can be found in When do you need a permit.
For a listed building the rules are stricter. For a rijksmonument (national monument), the only things that are permit-free are necessary regular maintenance aimed at preserving the monumental values, and an internal alteration to a part without monumental value (Article 13.11 of the Besluit activiteiten leefomgeving, the Dutch Activities Decree). An outdoor unit on or against the monument does not fall under that. According to IPLO, for a national monument, a municipal or provincial monument and a provisionally protected monument, a permit is always required for an outdoor unit on the façade or on the roof. A unit on the ground in the garden of a listed building can as a rule still fall under the permit-free rule for structures up to 1 metre high and 2 square metres, but not if the garden or grounds themselves form part of the protected monument (Article 2.30 Bbl). In a rijksbeschermd stads- of dorpsgezicht (nationally protected townscape or village view), that exemption only applies behind the home, in a place that does not face public land. Consult the municipality early about a location that is as invisible as possible from the street.
If you live in a flat, the façade, the roof and often the balcony too are common parts or parts governed by the rules of the VvE (owners' association). For an outdoor unit and for the pipes that go through the façade, you will then as a rule need the VvE's permission, and the splitsingsreglement (deed of division rules) or the house rules may contain requirements on location and noise. How to put a proposal to the meeting is explained in Renovating a flat in a VvE.
Electrics: a dedicated circuit and sometimes a heavier connection
A heat pump runs for many hours at a stretch during the heating season and needs its own circuit in the consumer unit. With a hybrid heat pump the power is usually limited, and the installation often fits on the existing connection, provided there is space in the consumer unit. An all-electric heat pump requires more power, especially if it switches on an electric backup heater in the coldest periods. A three-phase connection may then be necessary or sensible, especially if you also cook electrically or have or want a charging point. Milieu Centraal mentions upgrading the connection and a larger consumer unit as points to check in advance.
Have an electrician assess the consumer unit and the connection capacity beforehand, and calculate with the power that the heat pump, the hob and any other large consumers demand at the same time. You request an upgrade from the grid operator, which may have its own lead time. How that works and what the electrician does is covered in Replacing or extending a consumer unit.
Refrigerant: certificates and propane
A refrigerant circulates in a heat pump. Many heat pumps use a fluorinated refrigerant, a so-called F-gas. Anyone who works with F-gases must be certified for it: the engineer with a personal certificate and the company with a company certificate, according to Milieu Centraal BRL 100. This applies to installation and also to maintenance, repair and leak checks. Certification requirements also apply to working with natural refrigerants. Depending on the type and quantity of refrigerant, a periodic leak check may be mandatory. More on which certificates go with which work can be found in Plumber, installer or heating engineer: who do you call for what.
An alternative is a heat pump with a natural refrigerant, such as propane (R290). According to Milieu Centraal, propane has a much lower climate impact than many other refrigerants; it is mainly used in monoblock heat pumps that stand outside. Propane is, however, flammable and heavier than air. That is why manufacturers prescribe a safety zone around the outdoor unit, in which there may be no windows, doors, ventilation openings, drains or other low points and no sources of ignition. The size of that zone varies per model; in a small yard or a narrow balcony that can limit the choice.
ISDE subsidy and VAT
For a hybrid or all-electric heat pump you can apply for the Investeringssubsidie duurzame energie en energiebesparing (ISDE, investment subsidy for sustainable energy and energy saving) from RVO (Netherlands Enterprise Agency). The conditions change regularly; check them on rvo.nl before placing an order. At the time of writing, the conditions include the following:
- the heat pump is new and is preferably on RVO's notification code list; check this before purchase
- an installation company carries out the complete installation; self-installation does not qualify
- the scheme is intended for owner-occupiers: you own the home and live in it yourself
- the home was built before 1 January 2019, or the environmental permit was applied for before 1 July 2018
- you have the heat pump installed first and apply for the subsidy afterwards, within 24 months of installation
- since 2026, split air-to-water heat pumps with a refrigerant charge below 3 kilograms and a refrigerant with a GWP higher than 750 no longer qualify
If you also take an insulation measure within 24 months, according to RVO this can increase the subsidy for the insulation. Additional future requirements for heat pumps are being worked on, including on smart control; so keep an eye on the current conditions if you postpone the purchase. How the ISDE ties in with municipal schemes and the Energiebespaarlening (energy-saving loan) is explained in Sustainable renovation: subsidies and options.
As for VAT: the installer charges 21% VAT on a heat pump and its installation. The reduced rate of 9% applies only to certain labour on homes, such as insulating, and the zero rate for solar panels does not apply to a heat pump. More on this in 9% or 21% VAT on renovations.
Who does what, and what to look for in the company
Several tradespeople are often involved with a heat pump:
- Installer or heating engineer. Calculates the heat loss, chooses and installs the heat pump, lays the refrigerant or water pipes, connects to the central heating system and the existing boiler, adjusts radiators if necessary and commissions the installation. If, with a hybrid installation, the installer also works on the central heating boiler, the company must hold a CO certificate (CO-vrij certification) for that work.
- Electrician. Installs the circuit, adapts the consumer unit if necessary and coordinates an upgrade with the grid operator.
- Carpenter or contractor. Sometimes needed for a foundation or solid base for the outdoor unit, an enclosure, a penetration through the façade or a cabinet for the indoor unit and the hot water cylinder. For such work you can hire a carpenter or a contractor.
- Drilling company. With a ground-source heat pump, a specialist company drills the borehole. According to Milieu Centraal, the installer must work to BRL SIKB 11000 for the underground part and to BRL 6000-21 for the above-ground part. A ground energy system may also be subject to a duty to notify the municipality.
Milieu Centraal advises having the complete system, from source and heat pump to emitters, controls and ventilation, designed and installed by one company. In addition to the mandatory certificates, there are voluntary accreditations. InstallQ has an accreditation scheme for heat pump installations without a ground source, and Milieu Centraal also mentions, among others, the Vakmanschap Warmtepompen (heat pump craftsmanship) and STEK schemes. These are not a legal requirement, but they are a verifiable sign of expertise.
Maintenance. A heat pump is not maintenance-free either. Agree who will carry out the periodic maintenance; Milieu Centraal says it is not a good sign if an installer does not want to do maintenance. Keep the outdoor unit clear of leaves, snow and vegetation, and with a hybrid installation keep having the boiler serviced too. Ask for the manufacturer's guarantee and the maintenance terms on paper. What maintenance is mandatory and sensible for a boiler is covered in CO alarms and boiler servicing.
What should be in the quote?
Request two or three quotes based on a home visit, and check that they contain the same components:
- the heat loss calculation and the heat pump capacity based on it;
- the type: hybrid or all-electric, the source, brand and model, the notification code for the ISDE and the refrigerant;
- the location of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit, with the expected noise level at the property boundary and any noise measures;
- changes to the emitters: radiators to be replaced or added, and hydraulic balancing;
- the electrical work: the circuit, any changes to the consumer unit and who applies for an upgrade;
- building work such as a foundation, penetrations and making good holes in the façade;
- the company's certificates, the guarantee and the maintenance arrangements;
- an invoice with the details you need for the ISDE.
How to compare quotes side by side is covered in Comparing quotes: how to read a building quote.
In summary: start with the insulation and the heating test, then choose between hybrid and all-electric and agree the location of the outdoor unit with an eye to noise, permits and neighbours. On VerbouwPro you post your job free of charge, and heating engineers and electricians from your region respond.