No, heat pumps are designed to work with outside air temperatures as low as -20C; one of the most popular places where heat pumps are used is Norway and Sweden.

Heat pumps are typically cheaper to run than a gas boiler, and usually significantly cheaper than oil, LPG or Electric heating. This is because of their high efficiency of between 250% to 400%.

Your hot water requirements for showers or anything else will depend more on selecting the right size of hot water cylinder to ensure there is sufficient volume of water available.

No more than a fridge. They have sound levels of typically 45dB to 55dB, which means that even a unit located under the window sill of a modern house with the window closed, is unlikely to be heard by the occupants.

They are based on the same technology that runs fridges and air conditioning units which typically means you can expect them to work for 20 – 25yrs with little maintenance requirements.

Typically 3 years, but in some cases this can be 5 years with an option to extend to 7 years.

You need to buy an MCS approved renewable product – you can view a list on the MCS website, and have the product installed by an accredited MCS installer. Once completed the installer will register your installation with MCS and obtain an MCS certificate which they will pass to you. With this certificate, plus a valid EPC you can apply online for your incentive payments.