Commercial Heat Pumps
Replacing gas, oil or LPG boiler plant with an air source heat pump can cut a commercial building's carbon emissions and, with the right design and electricity tariff, its heating costs. For businesses working towards net zero, or landlords keeping an eye on EPC ratings, it's usually the first low-carbon option worth assessing.
Gloucester Plumbing & Heating Ltd installs and maintains commercial air source heat pumps for offices, schools, hospitality venues and industrial premises across Gloucestershire and beyond. We start with the building's heat demand and how it's used through the working day, then design a system that keeps it warm in the coldest weeks of the year.
COMMERCIAL AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMPS
Commercial Air Source Heat Pump Installation In Gloucestershire
A commercial heat pump has to suit how the building is actually occupied. An office that sits empty at weekends, a school with long holidays and a hotel running around the clock all need different sizing, controls and hot water arrangements. Poor sizing is the most common reason commercial heat pumps underperform.
Every project starts with a site survey and a heat loss assessment, followed by a conversation about how your building is used, which areas are hardest to heat and what hot water demand looks like at peak times.
During the survey we typically look at:
- Heat loss across each floor and zone of the building
- Occupancy patterns and peak hot water demand
- Space for outdoor units, including roof, ground and noise considerations
- Electrical supply capacity and whether an upgrade is needed
You then receive a design proposal and a written quote based on your building, including any enabling works, so the costs are clear before any work begins.
COMMERCIAL AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMPS
Commercial Air Source Heat Pump Installation In Gloucestershire
A commercial heat pump has to suit how the building is actually occupied. An office that sits empty at weekends, a school with long holidays and a hotel running around the clock all need different sizing, controls and hot water arrangements. Poor sizing is the most common reason commercial heat pumps underperform.
Every project starts with a site survey and a heat loss assessment, followed by a conversation about how your building is used, which areas are hardest to heat and what hot water demand looks like at peak times.
During the survey we typically look at:
- Heat loss across each floor and zone of the building
- Occupancy patterns and peak hot water demand
- Space for outdoor units, including roof, ground and noise considerations
- Electrical supply capacity and whether an upgrade is needed
You then receive a design proposal and a written quote based on your building, including any enabling works, so the costs are clear before the programme starts.
SUITABILITY
Is A Heat Pump Right For Your Building?
Heat pumps run most efficiently at lower flow temperatures than most commercial boilers, so the building fabric and the existing radiators or heaters both matter. Many commercial buildings are good candidates, particularly those with reasonable insulation and predictable occupancy. Some need enabling work first, and a few are better served by a hybrid system that keeps a boiler for peak demand.
After the survey, we'll tell you plainly which of those applies to your building.
Common reasons a commercial heat pump project needs extra work:
- Radiators or heaters sized for high-temperature boiler water
- An electrical supply that can't take the extra load without an upgrade
- Limited plant space, roof loading limits or noise restrictions
- High hot water demand from kitchens, showers or changing rooms
Where any of these apply, we'll set out what's needed, what it costs and how it affects the programme before you commit.
OUR BENEFITS
Why Businesses Choose Us
A well-designed heat pump delivers several units of heat for every unit of electricity it uses. Depending on your tariff and the building, that can bring running costs down compared with oil, LPG or older gas plant. It also removes combustion from the site, lowers the direct emissions in your carbon reporting and ends fuel deliveries on off-grid sites.
For landlords, low-carbon heating can improve a building's EPC rating, which matters under the minimum energy efficiency standards for let commercial property. Heat pumps also have no burner or flue to maintain, although an annual service is still essential to keep performance where it should be.
Our Commercial Heat Pump Installation Service
We manage the job from first survey to handover. On occupied sites, we can plan temporary heating so the building stays usable during the changeover. At Hillfield House, a Grade II listed office conversion in Gloucester, we delivered a renewable-led heating system with temporary and permanent boiler backup, designed around the physical limits of a heritage building.
What you can expect:
- Survey and design: heat loss assessment, system sizing and a clear proposal for your building
- Specification and quote: equipment, enabling works and programme set out in writing
- Installation and commissioning: installed by our engineers, controls set up around your occupancy pattern, system tested and handed over with documentation
Maintenance: annual servicing and planned maintenance to keep the system performing as designed.
For heat pumps specified on new build or contractor-led projects, see our mechanical services.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme For Small Non-Domestic Buildings
Grant funding isn't limited to homes. Smaller commercial buildings in England and Wales can qualify for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme where the heat pump replaces a fossil fuel or direct electric heating system and the installed capacity is 45kWth or less.
Hybrid systems that keep a boiler aren't eligible, and the installation must be carried out by an MCS certified installer, who applies for the grant on the building owner's behalf.
Larger buildings fall outside the scheme, so we'll confirm during the survey whether yours looks likely to qualify.
FAQs
Commercial Heat Pump Questions & Answers
What size heat pump does a commercial building need?
That depends on the building's heat loss, how it's occupied and its hot water demand, which is why we survey before quoting. A small office may need a single unit, while larger buildings often use several units working together, so the system can follow demand and keep running if one unit is being serviced. Oversizing is a problem too - it raises the upfront cost and makes the system cycle on and off, which reduces efficiency.
Can we keep our existing boiler alongside a heat pump?
Yes. A hybrid system uses the heat pump for most of the year and brings the boiler in on the coldest days or at peak demand. It can suit buildings where upgrading every radiator isn't practical. The trade-off is that hybrid systems aren't eligible for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, so we'll compare both routes when we quote.
Will a heat pump installation disrupt our business?
Most of the work, including siting outdoor units and making plant connections, happens away from occupied areas. The main disruption is the changeover from the old system, which we schedule for quieter periods such as weekends or holidays, with temporary heating where the building needs to stay in use. The programme is agreed with you before work starts.
How often does a commercial heat pump need servicing?
At least once a year, with more frequent checks on larger or heavily used systems. A service covers system performance, heat exchangers, controls, water quality and hot water safety settings such as pasteurisation cycles. Regular servicing is also usually a condition of manufacturer warranties.
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