Are Large Scale Commercial Heat Pumps a Good Investment?

Commercial heat pumps are one of the main ways that your business can improve its credentials as a forward-thinking, green company. There is more to it than just the environmental benefits though (although this is very important), with the financial element a big selling point to business owners. If you are looking for a different approach to providing hot water and heating to your workspace, could large scale commercial heat pumps be the best investment you can make?

What is a commercial heat pump?

Large-scale commercial heat pumps can be used for a variety of purposes within a business setting. Whether you own a building that comprises of offices, a large warehouse or production factory, or a retail building with individual shops, a commercial heat pump can be used to great effect.

They deliver hot water and heating to commercial buildings, utilising a heat source that could be from air or ground, just outside or below the building, or from a nearby water source. Heat pumps are proven as a low carbon technology, producing heat slowly and with a low temperature.

Are there different types of heat pumps?

There are different types of commercial heat pumps that you can put to work to help provide your commercial premises with heating and hot water.

Ground source heat pumps – These tap into the stable temperature of an area of the ground near a business property, or a body of water. They retain warmth from the sun, groundwater movements and other gradients, making them effective even in parts of the country that are cold.

Water source heat pumps – These can extract the energy that is retained at the bottom of a lake or pond from the heat of the sun. Through a series of flexible pipes, thermal transfer fluid absorbs heat from the water and carries it to the heat pump system.

Air source heat pumps – Using the warmth of the sun in the air around commercial premises, these heat pumps can extract energy even in the coldest parts of the country. The system draws in air, compressing energy from the sun’s warmth to use for heating, cooling, and hot water.

The benefits of commercial heat pumps

There are several benefits to consider when deciding on whether to install commercial heat pumps at your workplace. It helps to create a much better working environment for your employees, lowers costs, and improves the green credentials of your brand. All important matters. Let’s dig a little deeper.

Lower commercial fuel bills

A commercial heat pump using a ground or air source will reduce the cost of heating your commercial premises. It takes much less energy to generate the same amount of heat as you would have traditionally, and you are no longer tied to the ups and downs of prices linked to fossil fuels (something that we are all experiencing with the cost-of-living crisis). This consistency in prices makes it much easier to plan as a business.

Large company savings

Businesses can claim 130% capital allowances on plant and machinery investments that match certain qualifications. Heat pumps and solar systems are included in this. Every pound that a company invests between 1 April 2021 and March 31, 2023, they will receive a tax cut of up to 25p.

Reliable long-term heating solution

A boiler will always require some form of maintenance due to the way it operates. A heat pump, using no form of combustion, should last much longer and require a much lower rate of maintenance. This should factor into your budgeting when discussing whether the investment in commercial heat pumps is a good idea. You’ll experience 400% greater efficiency with heat pump systems when compared with traditional heating systems. This is due to the way in which heat is extracted and moved rather than generated through combustion.

District heating possibilities

If you own several commercial buildings on one single site, heat pumps are the perfect way to provide district heating, where a communal heating scheme is an option. One large heat pump system can be used to supply hot water and heating for several buildings at once.

Reduce your carbon footprint as a business

We all think about the environment and ways in which we can reduce the carbon footprint of our company. Your investors and stakeholders are looking at your ESG (Environmental, social and governance) credentials to make decisions, and investing in commercial heat pumps is one way to boost your ESG. This low carbon source of energy replaces gas energy generation and helps to deliver measurable improvements in reducing your carbon footprint and to make cost savings for your business.

Safe heating solution

You often hear of problems with boilers, and this makes commercial heat pumps an enticing option in terms of the fantastic safety levels you experience with them. On a day-to-day basis too, heat pumps provide water at a temperature level that reduces the potential for accidental scalding. There is also the removal of a carbon monoxide leak.

Commercial heat pumps are an efficient solution to heat work premises and provide hot water, reducing costs and the carbon footprint of your business.