Heating & Cooling Heat Pumps
Clade designs, manufactures and installs commercial heat pumps that provide both heating and cooling from a single system. Built in the UK using natural refrigerants CO2 and R290 propane, our heat pumps remove the need for separate heating and cooling plant, keeping costs down and systems straightforward.
Whether you need to heat a building in winter, cool it in summer, or do both at the same time across different areas, we have a system to suit. Every installation is designed around the specific demands of the site, from smaller commercial buildings to large industrial facilities.
ROWAN 2 COMMERCIAL AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMP
Rowan 2 is a R290 heat pump designed for scalable, low-carbon heating and cooling in commercial and industrial buildings.
With modular installation, it delivers up to 738 kW with high-temperature output.
What Are Heating & Cooling Heat Pumps?
A heating and cooling heat pump – often referred to as a reversible heat pump – is a single system capable of providing both heating in winter and cooling in summer. By switching the direction of operation, it can either supply heat to a building or remove it, depending on demand.
This removes the need for separate heating and cooling plant, helping to reduce plant space, simplify system design and lower ongoing maintenance requirements.
Clade’s heating and cooling heat pumps use natural refrigerants, including CO₂ and R290 propane, avoiding the use of F-gases and helping to minimise environmental impact.
How Does a Heating and Cooling Heat Pump Work?
A heat pump for heating and cooling works by moving heat rather than generating it. In winter, it extracts heat from the outside air and transfers it into the building’s heating circuit. In summer, the process runs in reverse, pulling heat out of the building and rejecting it outside, which is how the cooling effect is achieved.
Both functions use the same core components. A reversing valve inside the system changes the direction of refrigerant flow depending on whether heating or cooling is needed. This means a single piece of plant can respond to seasonal changes without anyone needing to intervene.
Where multiple units are installed together, each one can operate independently in heating or cooling mode, giving larger buildings the ability to heat one area and cool another at the same time.
Differences Between a Heating and Cooling and Reversible Heat Pump?
There is no functional difference between the two. A reversible heat pump is the technical term for a system that can switch between heating and cooling modes by reversing its operation. “Heating and cooling heat pump” is a more descriptive way of referring to the same capability.
In commercial buildings, those searching for a system that provides heating in winter and cooling in summer will often use the phrase “heating and cooling heat pump.” Engineers and building services designers typically use “reversible heat pump.” Both terms are correct and refer to the same underlying technology.
Benefits of Using Heating and Cooling Heat Pumps
- Single system for year-round heating and cooling: removes the need for separate heating and air conditioning, reducing capital costs, plant space, and maintenance requirements.
- Natural refrigerants: Clade’s heating and cooling heat pumps use CO₂ or R290 propane, both with a low global warming potential and zero ozone depletion potential. Unlike HFC refrigerants, they do not release PFAS chemicals into the environment.
- High flow temperatures: Clade’s heating and cooling heat pumps deliver high flow temperature with a 10°C differential down to -10°C ambient, maintaining reliable performance through UK winters. A high-temperature option is also available, delivering up to 80°C for buildings with existing radiator systems.
- Scalable capacity with independent module operation: the Rowan 2 cascades up to six modules under a single controller, delivering up to 738 kW. Each module can heat or cool independently, giving buildings with varied demands the flexibility to respond in real time.
- UK designed and manufactured: all Clade heat pumps are built in the UK, with full lifecycle support from design and installation through to ongoing maintenance.
Where Can Heating & Cooling Heat Pumps Be Used?
Heat pumps for heating and cooling are a practical choice for commercial and industrial buildings that need reliable temperature control throughout the year. They work well in well-insulated buildings where internal heat gains from people, equipment and solar can cause overheating in summer, while still requiring heating in winter. A single system that handles both removes the need to install and maintain a separate plant.
For larger sites with multiple buildings or areas with different demands at the same time, Clade’s commercial heat pumps can be installed as multiple units under a single controller, scaling capacity as needed. This makes it a practical choice for large office estates, industrial facilities and mixed-use developments where demands vary across different buildings on the same site.
Heating & Cooling Heat Pumps vs Air Conditioning
Many commercial buildings use a gas boiler for heating and a separate air conditioning system for cooling. That means two systems to install, two to maintain and two sets of running costs. A heating and cooling heat pump does both jobs from a single unit, keeping things simpler and cheaper to run.
- One system instead of two – A gas boiler and air conditioning setup involves separate installation, separate servicing and separate controls. A heating and cooling heat pump handles both from one piece of plant, with one contractor looking after everything.
- Refrigerants and regulation – Most air conditioning systems use synthetic HFC refrigerants, which are subject to tightening F-gas regulation in the UK and a compliance issue that is only going to grow. Clade’s heating and cooling heat pumps use natural refrigerants CO₂ and R290 propane, which have no F-gas obligations and do not release PFAS chemicals into the environment.
- Lower carbon emissions – Gas boilers burn fuel to create heat, producing direct carbon emissions on-site. A heating and cooling heat pump moves heat using electricity, with no on-site combustion and much lower carbon emissions.
- One project, not two – For buildings replacing a gas boiler and addressing cooling at the same time, a heating and cooling heat pump does both in a single project. One system, one installation, one contractor.
Clade Engineering offers air, ground, and water source heat pumps and refrigeration that use eco-friendly CO2 coolant and can operate either singly or as part of a multi-unit system.
HEATING AND COOLING HEAT PUMP SERVICES
We deliver complete heating and cooling heat pump solutions, from efficient design and manufacturing to expert installation and maintenance. As a UK leader in green heating, we provide ultra-low carbon, future-proof systems that reduce emissions across sectors, ensuring long-term, high-performance heating for businesses of all sizes.
FAQs About Heating & Cooling Heat Pumps
Yes. A heating and cooling heat pump uses the same system to heat a building in winter and cool it in summer. A reversing valve inside the unit changes the direction of refrigerant flow depending on what is needed, so there is no requirement for separate heating plant and air conditioning equipment.
Yes, in certain configurations. Clade’s Rowan 2 heating-and-cooling variant works as a series of units where each one can heat or cool independently. This means one part of a building can be heated while another is cooled at the same time, which works well for larger commercial and industrial sites with varied demands across different areas.
Both use a refrigeration cycle to move heat, but a commercial heating and cooling heat pump provides both heating and cooling from a single system using natural refrigerants. Most air conditioning systems only cool and use high-GWP synthetic refrigerants, meaning a separate heating system is still required.
Heat pumps move heat rather than generate it, which means they deliver significantly more usable energy than they consume. This makes them considerably more efficient than gas boilers, which burn fuel to create heat. The efficiency advantage also improves over time as the UK electricity grid continues to decarbonise.
Yes. Clade’s commercial heat pumps are designed for the UK climate and maintain reliable heating performance year-round. The heating-and-cooling variant of the Rowan 2 maintains reliable heating performance down to -10°C outside temperature.
It depends on the flow temperatures required by the existing system. Clade assesses each site individually to confirm compatibility. The Rowan 2 is available with a high-temperature option delivering up to 80°C, making it compatible with many existing radiator systems without any changes to the building.
Most commercial buildings are suitable. The key considerations are available external space for the unit, electrical capacity to support the system, and the existing heating infrastructure. Clade carries out a full site assessment before recommending a system, ensuring the right solution is specified for the building’s actual heating and cooling demand.
Clade uses natural refrigerants CO₂ and R290 propane, both with a low global warming potential and zero ozone depletion potential. Unlike HFC refrigerants used in most air conditioning systems, they do not release PFAS chemicals into the environment.
CONTACT US
Speak with our team of experts and discuss your requirements. Complete this quick form and we will be in touch or contact us using:
Bristol & Bath Science Park
Dirac Crescent, Emersons Green
Bristol, BS16 7FR