How to transition from gas to heat pumps

We’ve partnered with leading provider of advanced heat pump systems, Clade Engineering, and can offer a 10% discount on purchase price.

But how do you change from a gas boiler to a heat pump? What’s the process and where do you start? Let’s look at the steps involved.

1. Initial assessment

The first step in planning for the switch is to conduct a feasibility study. This involves assessing your buildings’ current heating systems, energy consumption, insulation and available space.

Commercial properties vary greatly in size and function, so understanding the specific heating loads is essential to defining the right heat pump solution. Specialist energy consultants can help ensure your assessment’s accurate and comprehensive.

2. Choosing the right system

Heat pumps aren’t a ‘one size fits all’ piece of equipment. The different types – each of which can be suitable for specific commercial uses – all work by drawing heat from their surroundings. They include:

• Air source heat pumps (ASHPs) – the most common choice for organisations
• Ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) – these require more space and have higher upfront installation costs
• Water source heat pumps (WSHPs) – can be suitable for buildings with access to a body of water

3. Financing

Heat pumps typically have higher upfront costs than gas systems. However, as well as reducing carbon emissions, they also offer significant long-term savings through reducing energy consumption.

In terms of funding the initial outlay, organisations should consider their options and how they present the costs to decision-makers.

The most obvious option is to pay through capital investment for equipment and installation.

It’s important to factor in the long-term operational cost savings heat pumps can deliver when seeking internal investment. A detailed cost-benefit analysis will help justify the expense by helping decision-makers appreciate the potential return on investment.

4. Infrastructure modification assessment

You’ll need to determine whether switching to heat pumps will require modifications to your building’s heating infrastructure. To do this, consider:

• The compatibility of existing radiators or distribution systems
• Space available for air source units
• Electrical capacity, and whether upgrades might be necessary to power heat pumps

5. Understand environmental progress and regulatory compliance

Heat pumps help organisations achieve their sustainability goals and comply with increasing regulatory pressure to reduce carbon emissions.

Organisations should evaluate how their new heat pumps help them progress towards their corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental, social and governance (ESG) targets. They should also measure advances against environmental regulations. Both provide the potential for excellent opportunities for positive PR stories.

6. Source operational and maintenance support

Heat pumps require a different kind of upkeep to gas systems. This typically involves regular inspections of heat exchangers, refrigerant levels and compressors.

You’ll need to consider whether you’ll be able to manage operating and maintenance in-house or if you’d prefer to contract specialist support. If you decide to maintain your own heat pumps, you’ll need to plan suitable training for your facilities team to ensure they’re able to keep systems operating efficiently.

7. Enjoy the benefits

As well as promoting energy efficiency and enabling cost savings across the colder months, some heat pumps also provide the ability to cool your buildings when it’s hot.

Track the benefits of your heat pump investment by calculating financial savings – and by checking the impact on your carbon footprint as part of your sustainability plan.

You can find more details about our partnership with Clade – and about using a carbon accounting tool to measure your carbon footprint, monitor progress and report emissions reductions – on our website’s partnerships page.