Home visit & design
The installer performs an onsite inspection of your home to confirm its suitability for heat pump installation. They will assess your home's systems, discuss design options, and provide a proposal with a performance estimate and detailed costs.
If you're considering getting a heat pump installed, it's crucial that your installer conducts a comprehensive room-by-room heat loss calculation.
The installer will provide a comprehensive breakdown of all costs involved in your upgrade, including equipment, labour, and any additional features or options you’ve discussed.
The installer’s accurate and compliant performance information about the heat pump can help you make a well-informed purchase decision.
The installer assesses if radiators need to be replaced and upsized based on the heat loss of your home.
Step 1: Heat loss calculation
This estimates how much heat escapes from your house to determine the appropriate size and efficiency of the heat pump.
Measuring Dimensions: The inspector measures the dimensions of each room, including walls, floors, ceilings, windows, and doors.
Assessing Insulation: The inspector checks the type, thickness, and condition of insulation in walls, lofts, and floors.
Inspecting Windows and Doors: The type, size, and number of windows and doors are evaluated, including their insulation quality and any drafts.
Evaluating Radiators and Heating Systems: Existing radiators and heating systems are measured and assessed for efficiency.
Checking for Thermal Bridges: The inspector looks for areas where heat might escape more easily, such as corners, joints, and uninsulated sections.
Considering External Factors: The inspector accounts for external factors like local climate, orientation of the house, and exposure to wind.
Calculating Heat Loss: All this data is used to calculate the total heat loss for each room, which helps determine the heating capacity needed for each space.
Step 2: Detailed view of costs
The quote outlines the key components, services and costs included in your heat pump installation.
Heat Pump Model: The quote includes the recommended heat pump model, chosen based on the specific requirements and best fit for your home’s heating needs.
Hot Water Cylinder: The installer will provide the cost for a hot water cylinder that integrates with your heat pump system.
Radiators: The quote covers any radiators changes required to match the design and functionality of your heating system.
Plumbing, Pipework & Electrical Components: All necessary plumbing, pipework, and electrical components are included to meet our design standards and ensure a fully functional system.
Delivery & Labour: The cost encompasses all delivery and labour required to complete the installation, from start to finish.
Product Warranty: Your heat pump comes with a comprehensive product warranty.
Step 3: Performance estimate
The performance estimate helps you to understand the predicted efficiency of the heat pump and often includes a metric called Seasonal Coefficient of Performance (SCOP).
The SCOP is the ratio of the total heat produced by the heat pump over a season to the total electricity consumed during the same period. It offers a realistic measure of a heat pump's efficiency across different seasons.
A higher SCOP indicates greater efficiency. For example, a SCOP of 4.0 means the heat pump generates four units of heat for every unit of electricity consumed over the season.
Step 4: Radiator specification
Heat pumps can work with radiators, but lower temperatures may reduce efficiency, requiring larger radiators or switching to underfloor heating.
Heat pumps can work with radiators, but there are challenges. Traditional radiators are designed for high-temperature systems, like those from gas boilers, while heat pumps operate most efficiently at lower temperatures, typically 35°C to 45°C. This mismatch can result in inadequate heating or longer running times, reducing efficiency.
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To overcome this, you might need to add more radiators, upgrade to larger ones, or consider switching to a more compatible system like underfloor heating, which performs better at lower temperatures.
References
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Heat Geek offers expert advice and a handy cheat sheet to simplify heat loss calculations.
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Heatable provides clear information on the various factors influencing heat loss and easy methods to calculate it.
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Heatable also has comprehensive details on radiators, heat pumps, and how they work together.
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Heat Geek gives advice on changing radiators when transitioning to a heat pump.
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Vito Energy can help you to learn more about heat pump efficiency and Seasonal Coefficient of Performance (SCOP).
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