The heat pump itself must be carefully ‘sized’ to make sure it is well-matched to the heat load of the building to be heated. For this to be done a heat load analysis on the building must be completed to accurately determine the space heating loads throughout the year. Also the heat emitters (radiators, underfloor heating etc.) in the building must be assessed to work out if they will work effectively with a heat pump system with flow temperatures of 35°C ( for underfloor heating ) or 45°C ( for radiators ) , and if they would not specify what upgrades would be needed. Once this is done the operational patterns from the building’s users must be understood (including cooling in summer if needed), then the heat pump can be sized and specified in detail.
Clearly all of this will require a site visit and building survey followed by a great deal of technical analysis, and for this we provide a standard water-source heat pump feasibility study service. The feasibility study includes:
Assessment Type | Detail |
---|---|
Summary of the findings / recommendations | Brief executive summary of report and recommendations |
Resource data | Watercourse flow analysis Watercourse seasonal temperature profile Seasonal air temperature profile Site layout and levels Cleanliness of the water source Chemical composition of water source |
Building / heat-load assessment | Building heating demand survey / analysis ( Room By room Heat Loss Assessment to BS12831:2003 ) Review of current thermal energy use Existing heating system review Existing Heat emitter review (radiator, underfloor heating etc.) Comments on current thermal efficiency and potential improvements |
System specification | Proposed system layout Heat pump sizing and system specification Energy production / consumption profiles Control system specification Integration with existing system |
Details of Consenting requirements | Regulatory consents Planning consent Building Regulations considerations |
Finances | Budget costs Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) Running costs Comparison with existing / conventional heating system Payback / Return on Investment calculations |
Recommendations and next steps | Detailed summary of all aspects of the report including recommendations for next steps |
A site visit would be carried out as part of the feasibility study.
The price for the water-source heat pump feasibility study depends on the size of the property to be heated and will be advised in the summary information of the Free Heat Pump Initial Assessment. It normally takes three weeks to complete the feasibility study.
Water source heat pump consenting
The main consent needed for a water-source heat pump is an Abstraction Licence in England and Wales, and a CAR Authorisation in Scotland. The regulators (EA in England, NRW in Wales and SEPA in Scotland) are generally supportive of water-source heat pump projects but they do have specific technical requirements in regard to volumes of water, temperature differentials and pollutant guidelines that must be met.Planning consent is not normally required unless a new plant room would be built, or the water intake structure would be visible. Listed Buildings may require Listed Building Consent if any of the building fabric will be changed. As with any works in buildings, the Building Regulations must be adhered to.
The whole project must be compliant with the Renewable Heat Incentive to qualify for the ongoing revenue stream.
Renewables First has a great deal of experience in dealing with the various regulatory authorities to obtain consents and would take care of this aspect of the project on behalf of our clients.
Are you considering a water-source or ground-source heat pump project ?
Renewables First have considerable experience and full project capability, from initial feasibility study through to system design and installation.
The first step towards a water-source or ground-source heat pump project is tell us about your project. The best way of doing this is via our tailored online Enquiry Form.
Once complete, one of our engineers will evaluate the site potential before contacting you to discuss the next stage of your project.
Learn more about Heat Pump projects at our Heat Pump Learning Centre.