Heat Pump Commissioning Checklist for Commercial Buildings

Searches for a heat pump commissioning checklist mostly return forms written for domestic installers or generic building-services lists. A commercial building needs more, because the plant is larger, several trades are involved and someone other than the installer will operate the system for twenty years. This guide sets out what a commercial commissioning and handover should contain, what to ask before the contract is signed and how to use the process to test the design. It follows the installer checklist, and the credentials to verify first are in how to check an MCS heat pump installer.

What commissioning is for

Commissioning proves that the installed system does what the design said it would do. For a heat pump that means more than switching it on: the flow temperatures, the control curves, the cascade staging, the buffer arrangement and the hot water cycle all need setting and recording, because they decide the seasonal efficiency. A system that is sized correctly but left at a fixed high flow temperature will never deliver its rated efficiency, so the settings left on the controls are part of the product you are paying for.

Existing templates and where they stop

The Heat Pump Association publishes commissioning checklists as formal records for the commissioning engineer to complete: HPADOC0001 for air-to-water heat pumps and HPADOC0002 for ground or water-to-water systems. They include items such as demonstrating the equipment to the customer and, for the ground and water version, details such as legionella protection settings and the antifreeze or inhibitor fluid. They are a sensible baseline. They do not cover the things that make a commercial project hard: coordination with the electrical and controls trades, integration with a building management system, a cascade of units, the DNO supply and the interface with the existing boiler. Ask the installer which checklist they use and what they add to it.

Before commissioning: what must be ready

• Electrical installation certificate for the new supply and controls, from the registered electrical contractor.
• Refrigerant circuit checks and leak-test records from an F-Gas certified engineer, with the refrigerant type and charge recorded.
• Pressure test and flushing records for the pipework, and records of any inhibitor or antifreeze added.
• DNO supply confirmed and any G99 work completed where there is generation on the site.
• Acoustic position confirmed where neighbours are close.

The commissioning record

• The design flow and return temperatures, and the measured values at stated outdoor conditions.
• Weather compensation curve and control settings left on the system.
• Cascade staging sequence and the buffer and pump settings.
• Hot water cycle settings, including any legionella protection cycle.
• Heat output and electrical input measured over the test period, and the efficiency derived from them.
• Alarms and fault handling tested.
• Name, company and certification numbers of the commissioning engineer, and the date.

The test is whether the record lets someone who was not on site understand how the system is set up and why. If it does not, the settings will be lost the first time a controller is reset.

Proving the efficiency

A seasonal efficiency cannot be measured on the day, but the installer can show instantaneous performance at the commissioning conditions and the metering that will record energy in and heat out from then on. Ask in the contract for heat and electricity metering that lets the delivered seasonal performance be calculated, and for a stated remedy if it falls short of the design figure to BS EN 14825 at the design flow temperature. Without metering, an efficiency promise cannot be checked after handover.

Handover: the pack and the training

• Operation and maintenance manuals for every item of plant and the controls.
• As-built drawings and schematics.
• The commissioning record, electrical certificate and refrigerant records.
• Warranty documents, with any insurance-backed cover as the policy document.
• A planned maintenance schedule and who carries it out.
• Training for the person who will operate the system, with a sign-off that it took place.
• Where the project has more than one contractor, the health and safety file under the CDM Regulations 2015.

Common commissioning problems and how to spot them

• Flow temperature left at the old high setting, so the efficiency promised at 45 to 55C is never delivered. Check the control curve against the design.
• No heat or electricity metering, so nobody can calculate the delivered seasonal performance. Ask for metering in the contract.
• A cascade that does not stage, so one large unit short-cycles on a light load. Check the staging sequence in the record.
• Weather compensation switched off or not configured. Ask to see it enabled and the curve recorded.
• Hot water cycle settings, including legionella protection, left at defaults without being checked against the building.
• The controls reset by the next visitor because nobody recorded the settings.

After handover: the first heating season review

The first full heating season is the real test. Agree in the contract that the installer returns after it to review the metered performance against the design, adjust the controls and fix any snags, and diarise the visit. If the delivered efficiency is well short of the design figure, the metering and the commissioning record are what let the client show where the gap lies, and the remedy clause in the contract is what makes it enforceable.

Who is responsible and who signs off

Decide this before the order is placed. The contract should name the firm and person who commission the system, who witnesses it for the client, and what a pass means. Linking the final payment, or a retention, to a signed record and a handed-over pack gives the client leverage that disappears once everything has been paid. The funding position, if a grant is involved, should be checked as well: for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, gov.uk says the installer must commission the system within 120 days of applying, and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme page explains the route.

Questions to ask before you sign

• Which commissioning checklist do you use, and what do you add for a commercial building?
• Who commissions the system, and what are their certification numbers?
• What metering will be installed so delivered efficiency can be calculated?
• What is the remedy if the delivered efficiency does not match the design?
• What will be in the handover pack, and when will I receive it?

To compare how different bidders treat commissioning and handover, use the table in comparing a commercial heat pump installation quote. For a first view of your own building, the form below takes a brief and the reply comes by email.

Frequently asked questions

What is a heat pump commissioning checklist?

A record, completed by the commissioning engineer, that the system has been installed and set up as designed. The Heat Pump Association publishes checklists for air-to-water and for ground or water-to-water systems.

Who signs off a commercial heat pump installation?

The contract should name the commissioning firm and person, who witnesses it for the client and what a pass means. Linking a retention to a signed record and a handed-over pack protects the client.

What should a heat pump handover pack contain?

Operation and maintenance manuals, as-built drawings, the commissioning record, electrical and refrigerant records, warranty documents, a maintenance schedule and evidence of operator training.

How is delivered efficiency proved after commissioning?

Through heat and electricity metering that lets the seasonal performance be calculated, with a stated remedy in the contract if it falls short of the design figure.