No. Heat pumps work in any property type, including old Cotswold stone cottages, period Cheltenham townhouses, and Gloucestershire farmhouses. The “new builds only” myth is one of the loudest, and it’s wrong.
What actually matters is the fabric of the building, the EPC, and the design of the heat pump system. Get those three right and the age of the property is mostly irrelevant.
Why people assume new builds are the only option
New builds tend to have higher EPC ratings, better insulation, and tighter draught control. That makes them easier candidates for low flow temperature heating. It doesn’t follow that older homes can’t run a heat pump, only that the design has to account for the home’s heat loss properly.
The Cotswolds and Cheltenham are full of period properties with thick stone walls, original sash windows, and high ceilings. None of those are dealbreakers. Plenty of these homes already run successfully on heat pumps that Hewer installed.
The three things that decide whether your home can run a heat pump
- EPC rating. Below band D and you’ll likely benefit from some insulation work before the install. Above D and you’re usually fine as is.
- Fabric of the building. Solid stone walls, suspended timber floors, single glazing. These aren’t dealbreakers but they affect the kW you need. A heat loss survey accounts for all of it.
- Design. The heat pump has to be specified against the actual heat loss of your home, not a generic assumption. Good design equals good performance. Poor design is where the horror stories come from.
What our engineer says
“No. Heat pump technology should work in any property, as long as it meets certain criteria around the EPC and the fabric of the building, and that the design has been correctly formulated against that property type. It will work.”
Talk to us
Get in touch for a heat pump consultation and we’ll work out the right design for your property. If funding is on your mind, our 2026 Boiler Upgrade Scheme offer covers most of the install cost.