Quick answer: Yes, you can put an air source heat pump cover or screen around your outdoor unit, but it must leave the air intake and fan side open. A badly designed box makes the unit pull its own cold exhaust back in, cutting efficiency, causing icing and putting your warranty at risk. Slatted or louvred screens, planting set well back, or a raised canopy are the safe options. We’re MCS-certified heat pump installers here at The Edinburgh Boiler Company, and we plan siting and screening on every survey so your unit looks tidy and still runs at full efficiency.
I get asked about covers on almost every survey, and it’s a completely fair question. The trick is knowing where the air needs to go.
Do you need a heat pump cover at all?
No, you don’t. Outdoor units are built to sit out in all weathers year round, so a cover is about looks, noise or extra shelter. Good reasons to screen one include:
- Appearance: a timber screen or hedge softens the look a lot.
- Noise: a well-placed barrier can help with the noise assessment near a neighbour’s window.
- Snow and falling ice: a canopy stops snow drifting onto the coil in exposed spots.
- Kids, pets and debris: a screen keeps little fingers and leaves away from the fan.
Our guide on how much space a heat pump needs covers the footprint side of things in more detail.
What clearances does a heat pump need around it?
Most units need a modest gap at the back and sides where air is drawn in, and a much bigger open space in front of the fan where cold air is blown out. Every model is different, so your manufacturer’s installation manual always has the final say. Here are real figures from manufacturer documents I’ve checked:
| Manufacturer / source | What it says |
|---|---|
| Daikin UK (guidance on covering heat pumps) | At least 30 to 50 cm at the sides and 1 metre in front of the fan. Covers should be open-sided or louvred; avoid solid boxes, sheds and airtight enclosures. |
| Mitsubishi Electric Ecodan (PUHZ-W installation instructions) | Minimum 300 mm from the nearest wall at the rear. The manual says the unit should never be enclosed and that air needs to circulate freely around it. |
| Bosch CS2000AWF (Worcester Bosch technical bulletin TB 0173, Oct 2023) | Minimum front clearance of 1,000 mm for 4 to 6 kW units and 1,500 mm for 8 to 16 kW units, with side and rear clearances still to be kept as per the manual. |
| Daikin Altherma 3 R (ERLA03 installation manual) | Any wall on the air outlet side must be no higher than 1,200 mm. At least 150 mm free space below the unit is recommended (300 mm in heavy snow areas). |
A screen 300 mm in front of the fan might look tidy, but on many models it breaks the front clearance completely. Always check your own model’s manual before anything goes up. If you’re still deciding where the unit goes, our post on heat pump location rules is a good place to start.
What are the best air source heat pump cover ideas?
The best air source heat pump cover ideas hide the unit from view without boxing it in. These are the options I’d happily see on one of our installs.
Slatted timber screens
A slatted timber heat pump screen is the most popular choice. It looks natural, can be painted to match fences or render, and the gaps let air pass. Go for horizontal or angled slats with generous gaps, keep the screen clear of the fan by the distance in your manual, and avoid tight tongue-and-groove panels, which act like a solid wall.
Louvred metal or composite enclosures
Louvred aluminium or composite panels outlast timber and need almost no upkeep, which suits coastal spots around Musselburgh and Kirkcaldy. Angled louvres can steer discharge air away from the coil. Check the open area is large and the panels lift off easily for servicing.
Planting and hedging
Plants are a lovely way to soften a heat pump. Keep shrubs and hedging well back from the intake and fan, and pick something easy to trim, because leaves clogging the coil are a common cause of poor performance. Climbers trained over the unit itself are a no.
Top canopies for snow
A simple open-sided canopy or snow hood above the unit is a very practical choice in a Scottish winter. Mitsubishi’s manual suggests a hood over the air intake or raising the unit where heavy snow could block it, and Daikin recommends keeping the unit at least 100 mm above the expected snow level, adding a snow cover or shed and a pedestal in heavy snowfall areas. Vaillant also sells a snow spacer accessory for its aroTHERM plus range. Keep the canopy high enough not to trap air, and make sure it doesn’t drip meltwater onto the coil.
Is an air source heat pump acoustic enclosure worth it?
An air source heat pump acoustic enclosure is mainly worth it when the unit must sit near a neighbour’s bedroom window and the noise sums are tight. For most homes, careful siting does the job.
In Scotland, permitted development for a domestic air source heat pump comes with a condition that it complies with MCS 020 planning standards or equivalent. MCS 020 checks the predicted sound level at the nearest neighbour’s window, and a solid barrier that fully blocks the line of sight between the unit and that window can be counted as reducing the noise. That’s often where a properly designed acoustic screen earns its keep.
Purpose-made enclosures claim reductions of up to 9 dB for a small cover and 12 dB(A) for a larger housing with separated intake and exhaust paths. A real acoustic enclosure is engineered around airflow; a homemade box lined with foam isn’t. Before spending, have a read of how noisy air source heat pumps really are.
Conservation areas and tenement back greens
Planning rules are worth checking early here. Under Scotland’s householder permitted development rights, a heat pump on a house in a conservation area is generally only covered if it’s at ground floor level on the rear elevation, and there’s no permitted development within the curtilage of a listed building. A screen can reduce the visual impact, but may need consent itself, so speak to your council first, especially in places like Edinburgh’s New Town or old Linlithgow.
On tight tenement back greens, the unit often ends up near a boundary wall or bin store. A low, open slatted screen on one or two sides works better than a full surround, and you’ll want your neighbours’ agreement if the green is shared.
Not sure whether your screen idea will pass the airflow test? Speak to us before you spend a penny on timber. Book a free heat pump survey and one of our engineers will tell you straight what will and won’t work for your unit.
Which heat pump covers should you avoid?
Avoid anything that encloses the unit or blocks its air paths. These are the ones I see go wrong:
- Fully enclosed boxes or sheds: Mitsubishi’s manual is blunt that the unit should never be enclosed, and Daikin warns against solid boxes and airtight enclosures. The unit ends up breathing its own cold exhaust.
- Tarps and winter covers while it’s running: these are made for units that are switched off. A heat pump works hardest in winter, the worst time to cover it.
- Screens too close to the fan: these push cold air back round to the intake. Vaillant’s manual specifically says to avoid outlet air being drawn back in.
- Corners and niches: squeezing the unit between walls causes the same recirculation, even without a cover.
- Anything sitting on top: plant pots or heavy lids can dent the casing.
- Covers that block service access: your engineer needs to reach the panels.
Restricted airflow means more electricity for the same heat, more defrosting and heavy icing. If your unit is icing up or cycling a lot, our guide to common heat pump problems and faults is worth a look, and a cover is one of the first things I’d check.
How much does a heat pump cover cost?
A heat pump cover typically costs from very little for planting to several hundred pounds for a ready-made timber or acoustic product, with bespoke enclosures costing more. Examples below are from UK retailer listings checked in November 2026, so treat them as a guide.
| Cover type | Typical cost band | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Planting or hedging | Low | Depends on plants and size; keep well back from the unit |
| Ready-made slatted timber screen | Low to medium | Slatted treated pine cover from around £380 |
| Louvred timber unit guard | Medium | Medium louvred pressure-treated timber guard at around £850 inc VAT |
| Small noise-reducing cover | Medium | Cover claiming up to 9 dB reduction at around £575 inc VAT |
| Engineered acoustic enclosure | High | Larger housings claiming up to 12 dB(A); usually priced on application |
| Bespoke louvred metal or composite screen | Medium to high | Made to measure, so priced by quote |
Many of these are sized for air conditioning units, so check dimensions and airflow against your heat pump’s manual. For the heat pump itself, Home Energy Scotland grants and loans can help, and as part of the new Warm Homes Loan Scheme we can talk you through low and zero-interest loans too. Our Home Energy Scotland grant guide explains how the funding works.
Planning a new heat pump and want it hidden from day one? We design the position, clearances and screening together at survey stage, so you’re not paying to fix it later. Book your free survey and we’ll take care of the lot.
Air source heat pump cover FAQs
Should I cover my heat pump in winter?
No, never fully cover a heat pump while it’s running. A tarp blocks the airflow it needs most in winter. Clear snow from the intake and fan instead, and consider an open-sided canopy if it gets buried regularly.
Does a cover void the warranty?
It can. Warranties generally depend on the unit being installed in line with the manual, including its clearances, so a box that breaks them could give grounds to question a claim. Check your terms and run plans past your installer.
Can I put a heat pump under a canopy?
Yes, an open-sided canopy is usually fine and really useful for snow. Keep it high enough for air to escape and check the top clearance in your manual.
Do covers reduce noise?
Some do. A solid barrier blocking the line of sight to a neighbour’s window cuts the noise reaching it, and engineered enclosures claim 9 to 12 dB. Decorative slatted screens make little difference.
Do air-to-air heat pumps follow the same rules?
Broadly, yes. Their outdoor units also need open airflow and service access. Check the specific manual, as clearances vary.
Get your heat pump sited right from day one
The easiest way to get a heat pump you’re happy to look at is to plan the position and screening at survey stage. As one of Scotland’s leading MCS-certified heat pump installers, we do exactly that for homes across Edinburgh, Musselburgh, Dalkeith, Livingston, Falkirk, Stirling, Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy, Perth, Glasgow and the Borders.
For help choosing a spot or checking a cover idea, see our air source heat pump installation service or book a free heat pump survey. Already have one? Our heat pump aftercare team can check your clearances when they service it.
