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Government commissions heat pump installation guide

An engineer services an air source heat pump (Image: Dreamstime/Rosshelen)

The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) and Arup are to co-author a new guide on the installation of heat pumps in larger non-residential buildings.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) commissioned the guide amid concerns that there is currently a lack of UK-focused technical guidance for heat pumps.

The use of more heat pumps in existing buildings is a key plank of the government’s environmental policy, but a lack of installers capable of fitting them to robust standards risks the prospect of substandard installations.

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CIBSE said the project alongside Arup aims to:

Produce new guidance for large heat pump installations in non-domestic buildings, in both new and retrofit settings.
Contribute towards delivering high-quality design, installation, commissioning, operation and maintenance of heat pump systems.
Increase the awareness of common issues faced in delivering effective systems in larger buildings and seeking to reduce instances of ineffective systems.

The guidance will be available free for designers, installers and consumers.

Arup, which developed the new, recently published, CIBSE AM16 manual on heat pumps for apartment blocks, will work as technical author under the direction of the CIBSE technical team supported by a steering group comprising industry stakeholders and representatives including developers, landlords, occupiers, designers, installers, operators, manufacturers and other specialists.

Dr Hywel Davies, technical director of CIBSE, said: “We are delighted to be appointed to lead this project, which aligns with our drive to link knowledge development and best practice to support the technical improvement and through life performance of low-carbon commercial and industrial buildings.”

Mike Edwards, associate director at Arup, added: “Heat pumps will play a crucial role in the UK’s net-zero carbon transition. We are very pleased to have been appointed to lead the authoring of this best practice guidance, continuing our strong working relationship with CIBSE and other industry partners.

“Arup has been designing heat pump systems for large non-domestic buildings for several years, serving developments from Lord’s Cricket Ground to our own London offices. Our in-depth knowledge of these systems, and experience of their real-world operation, will enhance our authoring of AM17.”