How to install a heat pump for commercial buildings

If you’re after a future-proof way to heat your commercial building, a heat pump could be at the top of your wishlist.

But how do you install a heat pump?

Here, we’ll walk you through the steps involved and answer key questions to do with installing commercial heat pumps.

How to install a heat pump in a commercial building: the process

Installing a heat pump in a commercial building requires experienced engineers and system designers who can create and install a bespoke heat pump system tailored to your needs.

Every project is different, so there’s no ‘one size fits all’ process.

However, as a general guide, here’s what you can expect.

1. Initial assessment

First things first, your system designer will take the time to understand your business’ exact needs.

This will include arranging a site visit to scope out your project.

Plus, they’ll want to find out more about your heating requirements and patterns – as well as any restrictions you’ll need to work around.

For instance…

• Do you want a heat pump for space heating and/or domestic hot water (DHW)?
• What is your current heat demand over the year, or what are your current heat utility bills?
• What are the building users’ expectations of a heating system?
• What times of the day will DHW usage be at its highest?
• Can changes be made to your building’s existing infrastructure?
• Do you need to ensure continuous operation during installation?
• Are there specific noise restrictions they’ll need to work around?
• What space is available to work with?

Always be completely honest and as specific as possible when you’re detailing your requirements and expectations with regards to a new heating system.

The more detailed your requirements, the higher the probability of getting exactly what you want!

2. Building load

For the best results, your system designer will always start with the building load.

In other words, they’ll carry out heat loss calculations on your building to work out what elements can be kept or changed when you make the swap to your new heating system.

A heat pump works completely differently from a traditional gas boiler, despite the fact that the way they heat your building should feel very much the same.

This means you’ll often get the best results by making changes to your building’s existing infrastructure – for instance, changing your existing pipework or emitters.

However, it’ll all depend on those heat loss calculations, your building’s existing heating system and the refrigerant used in your heat pump.

Sometimes, you can get great results by keeping your existing pipework. And you may even be able to keep your existing radiators, especially if they were oversized when they were first installed.

In some cases, you may even be forced to keep these elements – for instance, in listed buildings and healthcare facilities, it can be very difficult (or even impossible) to make amendments to the building’s existing infrastructure.

In this case, your system designer will do their best to work around these restrictions – for instance, they might recommend our Elm high temperature heat pump which is designed especially for scenarios where a direct replacement for a boiler is needed.

3. System design

Now your system designer knows exactly what they’re working with, they can start to design your heat pump system.

This includes picking out your heat pump refrigerant, size and model, as well as making sure it will work in harmony with all the other elements in your heating system.

This isn’t always an easy decision, as your system designer will need to strike a good balance between things like easy installation and heat pump efficiency.

Often, there’s no one right answer and it’s all about working with your priorities to make a decision that will work best for your needs.

You’ll need to trust your design team to use their expertise to meet your requirements.

But you’ll get the very best results by also verifying the design against your requirements yourself.

By systematically evaluating a design, you can make a well-rounded judgment on its quality. For instance, ask yourself:

• What are the building users’ expectations of a heating system?
• What specification of components are you hoping for?
• Have the major component manufacturers been consulted on the use of their equipment in the design?
• Does the design comply with relevant regulatory requirements, such as the CDM risk assessments?

One corner that’s often cut is getting the input of major component (such as heat pump) manufacturers.

By consulting major component manufacturers on the use of their equipment in a design, you can troubleshoot issues and make sure your design is as robust as it can be.

At Clade, we can take on projects at any stage of the design process – whether it’s from concept or making improvements to a stage three design done by a third party designer consultancy.

Best of all, since we offer an end-to-end service, you know you can always have the manufacturer’s input in the design process.

4. Installation

The first day of installation is an exciting one – after all, this is what all the prior work was gearing up to.

A heat pump installation is complicated because it has refrigeration, controls, electrical and mechanical aspects that all need to work in harmony for heat to be successfully delivered to the building.

Some of the tasks your team of engineers may work on during the installation process include:

• Replacing radiators
• Making changes to pipework
• Flushing the system
• Fitting your heat pump unit
• Fitting hot water cylinders or buffer tanks
• Connecting your heat pump to the central heating system
• Installing a drain
• Filling the system with refrigerant
• Electrical wiring
• Installing thermostats or heating controls
• Removing your gas connection

Depending on the scope of the project, installation could take anywhere from a month to more than eight months to complete.

However, it’s worth noting that many businesses will be able to operate continuously for the majority of this time.

This is because you can keep the old boilers working through most of the installation period and only disconnect them at the very last minute.

5. Commissioning

Once installation is complete, you’ll enter the commissioning phase.

Commissioning is just as important as design and installation. It’s essentially where your heat pump is put through its paces and all the hard work is proven successful.

A team of commissioning engineers will carry out a comprehensive set of checks and procedures to confirm that your heat pump has been installed correctly and is working as intended.

This will include…

• Inspecting the whole system
• Ensuring that all components are working correctly
• Testing the heat pump’s heating and cooling capacity
• Checking airflow
• Checking refrigerant charge
• Testing the heat pump’s overall efficiency

In this way, commissioning is an essential quality check that will confirm your heat pump is going to work reliably, efficiently and with longevity.

As well as setting up and proving your heat pump, our team at Clade will also help with the wider system integration wherever we can.

Plus, we offer a performance guarantee – if the heat pump doesn’t meet the guaranteed performance, we’ll refund the cost of the heat pump and remove it from site.

This shows just how confident we are not only in our products, but also in our commissioning engineers who will make sure to get your heat pump running exactly how you need it to.

6. Training

Heat pump systems are generally easy to control. However, they’re not a technology that many people are currently familiar with, so they can take a bit of getting used to.

That’s why training should always be an important part of the installation process.

At Clade, our team is always happy to provide advice, training and guidance on the use of our heat pumps – including the controls.

We also run a certified CPD course designed to support the growth of industry professionals.

We’ve been known to deliver a scaled-down version of this for our clients, along with a technical discussion, to empower them with the knowledge they need to operate their new system confidently.

That said, the majority of our heat pumps are also remote monitoring and smart enabled.

This means our experts can monitor your heat pump’s performance remotely from our headquarters in Leeds and make any necessary adjustments for you if you prefer – to ensure your heat pump is operating as efficiently as possible.

7. Aftercare

Lastly, it’s important to remember that the journey doesn’t end when your heat pump has been installed.

Like any technology, your heat pump will need to be properly maintained to keep it in the best condition possible.

Luckily, heat pumps have a robust design with minimal moving parts – which means they need very little maintenance in comparison to traditional gas boilers.

That said, taking proper care of your heat pump will help to prolong its life and maintain its efficiency.

As the property owner, you can check that airflow isn’t blocked by dust or debris, power off the system, occasionally clean the fan blades, or replace the filters when needed.

However, it’s also important to get your heat pump inspected yearly by a professional. When you purchase one of our after sales support packages, we’ll provide yearly checks of your heat pump system.

These assessments include checking the refrigerant pressure, looking for leakage in the ducts, measuring proper airflow, inspecting electrical contacts, evaluating the reverse cooling and heating controls, and much more.

Plus, we’ll provide 24/7 service engineering support, access to Clade’s technical helpdesk, and commissioning engineer attendance to give you complete peace of mind and keep your heat pump working properly long into the future.

Is my commercial building suitable for heat pump installation?

Contrary to what you might think, most buildings are suitable for heat pump installation.

However, in some buildings, retrofitting a heat pump can be achieved with fewer alterations than in others.

Here are some of the factors that can influence how easy installation may be.

Age of building

It’s possible to retrofit heat pumps in older buildings, but the type of heat pump and refrigerant needs to be matched to the building and aspirations of the owner or operator.

In particular, if your commercial building is listed, it often won’t be possible to make significant changes to its existing infrastructure. In this case, opting for a high temperature heat pump such as our Elm heat pump could be the best course of action, preventing pipework and emitters from requiring replacement.

Insulation

A well-insulated building will experience less heat loss. This will enable you to opt for a smaller heat pump and therefore use less energy operating it.

That said, heat pumps are available in any size and can meet any heat demand.

Existing emitters

Many heat pumps run at a lower temperature than boilers.

This means they commonly require larger emitters for the same heat output.

On the other hand, some buildings have oversized radiators, in which case, you may be able to keep them.

Other heat pumps, such as the Clade Elm, operate at boiler temperatures, in which case no changes to the building are necessary.

However, this easy installation needs to be balanced with the heat pump efficiency – a decision that your designer will guide you through.

Outdoor space

An air source heat pump will need to be installed outside.

With that in mind, you’ll need somewhere suitable where you can install it – for instance, a car park or roof space.

How long does it take to install a commercial heat pump?

It’s impossible to say for sure how long it will take to install a commercial heat pump, as it will depend on so many different factors. For instance the:

• Size of building
• Existing infrastructure
• Scope of the project
• Limitations and restrictions

The design process for a small project like a house could take as little as a week, whereas a larger project like a school could take more than 12 weeks.

Meanwhile, the installation itself could take anywhere from a month to over eight months.

The best way to get an accurate estimate is to talk to your system designer, as they’ll be able to give you a realistic breakdown of the work required.

Is installing a heat pump worth it for commercial buildings?

Yes! Installing a heat pump comes with so many benefits for commercial and industrial buildings.

Here are just a few of the main ones…

• Energy efficient
• Reduced energy bills
• Environmentally friendly
• Demonstrate CSR
• Versatile
• Easy to retrofit (in most cases)
• Long lifespan
• Reliable and consistent
• Easy to control
• No fuel deliveries
• Futureproof

It’s true that heat pump installation comes with a significant upfront cost. But over time, the longevity of heat pump technology coupled with a reduction in energy bills could make it an attractive option from a financial point of view.

Plus, there are incentives available to encourage organisations to make the switch – such as the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) for public sector organisations or tax breaks for non-public sector organisations.

Alternatively, we can help most businesses to spread out the initial cost of an air source heat pump with commercial heat pump financing.

Let us install a commercial heat pump system for you

As you can see, there are tons of different elements to juggle when it comes to heat pump installation.

But you shouldn’t have to worry about any of that – that’s what we’re here for!

Our team of experts have all the knowledge, skills and experience needed to design, manufacture, install and maintain your commercial heat pump so that you can reap the benefits of this technology with zero stress.

Simply get in touch for an initial chat and we’ll be happy to scope out your project.