You are probably considering greener heating in a large house, a block of apartments or a farm building or a small office. You will find that an air source heat pump can be a strong option. You will also find that a commercial air source heat pump is designed for bigger jobs and can save you money and carbon when it is sized and installed correctly.
Why Should You Consider a Commercial Air Source Heat Pump?
It is the lower bills and a good heating system that is durable. You will also cut down on carbon production and to comply with any future regulations on clean heating. You will find that a commercial air source heat pump offers higher capacity than domestic models. You might have one unit or a few linked units to heat large areas, hot water stores or a number of flats. Some manufacturers will also provide you with better controls and larger warranties.
How a Commercial Air Source Heat Pump Works for You
You will see that an air source heat pump moves heat from the outside air into your building. Then the pump makes use of electricity to power a compressor and a fan. You will find that the unit will not burn fuel onsite. You will also save on maintenance cost, as compared to old gas boilers.
Important: You are going to measure efficacy by COP or SCOP scores. You will seek to achieve greater SCOP in order to achieve low running costs.
When You Need a Commercial Air Source Heat Pump
When the heat demand of your property is high, you should have a commercial unit. You can consider big houses, multi storey buildings, guest houses, small factories, and farm buildings.
You will also examine properties on which a single large system will be more appropriate than many small boilers. Most communal systems, you will find, can help to reduce the cost of multiple flats or a care facility.
Read our in-depth guide on Evaluating the Effectiveness of Air Source Heat Pumps.
Look Into Planning, Noise and Space Regulations
You have to ensure that you plan before you purchase on the basis of rules and noise limits. You should also not position the outside units close to the neighbours and the bedrooms where feasible.
Pro Tip: You will use decibels in order to obtain measure sounds and request the installer to provide sound data. You will lay out the space of the unit and access to service. You have to ensure that the unit is placed on a solid pad that has good drainage.
The Expenses That You will Incur and Savings that You will Experience
Make a budget of purchase and running cost. You will expect a commercial air source heat pump to cost more than a domestic one, but you can also spread that cost over a longer life and larger output. You can also guess on the cost of running based on your heat requirement, the SCOP of your unit and your power bill. This will be compared to the cost of running on gas or oil. In many cases, a well-sized commercial air source heat pump will lower yearly bills and cut carbon.
See budgeting and efficiency on our Air Source Heat Pump Running Costs blog.
Grants and Finance
You will seek any grants, business assistance or VAT concessions which will lower first costs. Finance and payback will be questions that you will ask your installer. You will realise there are even more cost-effective ways of using: adding solar PV, adding batteries or time-of-use tariffs can make the system less expensive to operate in the long term.
Learn more about available support and savings on our Air Source Heat Pump Grant page.
Installation Options that You can Make
Before purchasing you will have a complete heat loss survey. You will ensure that the installer does a good design to cover flow temperatures, buffer tanks and controls. You will pair emitter and hot water stores with the output of the pump. You can add a thermal store in case you wish to switch heating to periods of less expensive electricity.
What You will be Seeking in a Good Commercial Unit
A great seasonal performance (SCOP) and mighty inverter technology. You will test low temperature functionality since it is cold in the UK during winter. Then, you can match sound rating and modulation range to ensure that the unit runs at a low sound level and uses a large modulation range. You will probably appreciate intelligent controls that enable you to keep track of and adjust the amount of heat consumed without a problem.
Real Life Examples
There will be a little block of flats that requires 40-60 kW of heat. A single commercial air source heat pump or a bank of linked units can manage that load. You will observe a guest house or care home that will be utilising a bigger unit together with a thermal store to satisfy peaks. These systems will operate with good insulation, and with the correctly sized radiators or underfloor heating to maintain flow of temperatures at low and to operate efficiently.
Keep the Costs Low
You should better insulate first. Seal draughts and create loft, cavity insulations and install effective windows on need basis. Maximize Savings with Loft Insulation. Radiators or underfloor heating will be upgraded or installed to reduce the flow temperatures. Your smart controls and time-of-use tariffs will engage heating in less expensive times of the day. You may also include solar PV in case the roof will be appropriate. An oiling of the system is done once every year to maintain high levels of COP.
Curious about: Are Solar Panels Worth Off in the UK?
Questions that You will Pose to Installers
You will request a complete report of heat losses and a plan of the site. You will require SCOP numbers and recorded sound values. You will enquire about warranty conditions and time scales in responding to big systems. You will request an itemization of expenses on the unit, installation and upgrade. You will request case studies of similar projects, you will also request client references.
Planned Safety and Maintenance
You will require regular inspection on refrigerant levels, pumps and controls. You will set up annual repairs with an experienced engineer. You have to ensure that you familiarise yourself with the controls.
The way a commercial system is going to fit into and what you intend to do
Consider the growth in the future including new flats or business. Choose a system that will be scalable or able to connect with the other units. You will make sure that multiple zones and heated stores can be dealt with by the controls.
Some Basic List of Questions to Check
- You are going to receive a survey of heat-losses.
- You will examine SCOP and sound data.
- You will verify space plans and planning.
- You will enquire on warranties and service.
You will Break Now a Step Further
Now you just need to have your free quote today, and find out whether a commercial air source heat pump is the right thing to put in your home or mixed use property. You will see quotes, you will compare models and make a certain choice to pay less and emit less.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes, a commercial air source heat pump is often a good choice for larger homes, blocks of flats or mixed-use properties. These systems have greater capacity as compared to domestic units and can be installed as one large unit or one linked to many units serving several zones. Be sure to obtain a complete survey of the heat loss to have the installer size the system to the right size and recommend possible upgrades to the radiators or hot-water.
Prices differ depending on the size of the property, the capacity of the system and any upgrades required to meet your needs, however, you would pay more initial outlay when using a commercial unit than when using a domestic unit. A portion of that money will generally be offset by the reduced annual running bills, particularly in cases where the pump is combined with insulation, smart controls or solar PV.
In most cases you will not need full planning permission for an air source heat pump, but you will need to check local rules especially in conservation areas or for listed buildings. Noise may also be an issue, and you will request the installer to provide measured values and compromise on a siting location that will not place the units too close to the neighbours and bedrooms.
An average domestic install would require 2-5 days, although installing a large system in businesses will require several days to a few weeks, depending on complexity. Most disruption will be during emitter upgrades, re-arrangement of pipework or installation of a thermal store. An excellent installer will provide you with a precise schedule, cover floors and communal spaces and reduce occupancy inconvenience.
An overview of the service that will take place in the first year with a qualified engineer will check refrigerant, pumps and controls – this will ensure efficiency is high and issues are minimal. With proper maintenance, modern units can easily last 15-20 years; parts and compressors should have a warranty of 5-10 years (depending on the manufacturer).
