Process heat is where a heat pump can transform an energy-intensive site’s cost and carbon. A high-temperature unit lifts recovered waste heat — from refrigeration, compressors or a process stream — to a 70-90 °C+ flow, replacing gas or oil process heat and cutting Climate Change Levy exposure. The Industrial Energy Transformation Fund that supported eligible sectors is now closed.
The hard part is integrating into a live process. The plant is often natural-refrigerant (R290 propane, ammonia or CO2) for the high-temperature duty, which changes the plant-room layout and ventilation, and every tie-in has to be method-statemented into a production window so the site never stops for more than it can afford. The waste-heat source, the plant and the process interface are designed as one.
How high-temperature & process heat pump is installed
Delivery runs: survey the waste-heat source and the process heat demand; design the high-temperature or natural-refrigerant plant and its DSEAR/ATEX siting and ventilation; stage the process tie-ins into agreed production windows; recover and lift the waste heat into the process flow; then a commissioning witnessed by the client that proves the delivered temperature and efficiency against the design.
What this install includes
- Delivers process heat and hot water at 70-90 C+ for manufacturing, laundries and food
- Recovers waste heat from refrigeration, compressors or process streams into the flow
- Natural-refrigerant (R290, ammonia, CO2) plant for high-temperature duties, installed to DSEAR/ATEX
- Integration into a live process is the hard part, tie-ins are staged around production, not the other way round
Typical high-temperature & process heat pump installation
- Heat output
- 100 kW-2 MW+ thermal
- Heat-pump plant
- high-temperature units to 70-90 C+ flow; waste-heat recovery loops
- Plant / array area
- plant compound, varies by process
Cost, funding and how it is paid for
Installed cost depends on capacity, the state of the heating circuit, the electrical supply and the siting, so a high-temperature & process heat pump installation is priced from a heat-loss survey rather than a headline figure. As special-rate integral-feature plant it attracts the Annual Investment Allowance — 100% relief on the first £1m of qualifying spend. The 0% VAT relief covers only residential or relevant-charitable buildings, so general commercial premises do not qualify. See the cost guide, capital allowances and grants and funding.
Siting, acoustic and compliance
Natural and flammable-refrigerant plant carries DSEAR/ATEX siting requirements for the plant room and ventilation. BS EN 378 safety and the F-Gas phase-down of high-GWP refrigerants apply. The IETF fuel-switching strand is closed with no successor planned, so funding has to be checked afresh.
The Industrial Energy Transformation Fund that supported qualifying sites is now closed. The F-Gas phase-down of high-GWP refrigerants drives natural-refrigerant designs (R290 propane, ammonia, CO2), which carry DSEAR/ATEX siting requirements for flammable-refrigerant plant. Process tie-ins are method-statemented around production windows. BS EN 378 safety standard and waste-heat recovery integration apply.
Electrical supply and commissioning
A high-temperature & process heat pump installation adds electrical load, so the incoming supply capacity is confirmed at survey and any DNO supply upgrade started at feasibility — it is often the longest-lead item. Every install ends with a documented, commissioning witnessed by the client against the BS EN 14825 design. See also whether a commercial heat pump is worth it.
Related reading: the overview of commercial heat pump installation, the commercial heat pump cost guide, heat pump capital allowances, the heat pump cost calculator uk and how long does heat pump installation take.
High-Temperature & Process Heat Pump Installation: at a glance
| Attribute | Typical for this install |
|---|---|
| Heat output | 100 kW-2 MW+ thermal |
| Plant / siting | plant compound, varies by process |
| Performance standard | BS EN 14825 (SCOP), commissioning witnessed by the client |
Request a high-temperature & process heat pump installation quote
Replies by email
- 1. Desk feasibility from the building details and consumption data you send, no obligation.
- 2. A plain assessment of the flow temperature and supply questions.
- 3. Next steps laid out plainly, with no obligation.
Common questions
How much does a commercial heat pump installation cost?
It depends on technology and scale: ground-source costs more than air-source because of the ground works, and water-source and heat-network schemes are larger again. Cost is driven by the peak heat load, the emitter upgrades required, external-plant siting, and any electrical supply upgrade. The full installed cost should be modelled from the heat-loss survey before any commitment, with no blind quotes.
Does the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme apply to commercial buildings?
Sometimes. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (England and Wales) covers heat pumps in non-domestic buildings as well as homes, so a small business building can qualify, but it is a flat grant per installation up to 45 kWth (shared ground loops up to 300 kWth) and does not scale to large plant. Confirm eligibility with the installer and Ofgem. Larger commercial buyers have different, often larger, routes: grant schemes that change often (PSDS has had no open application window since Phase 4 closed in November 2024, so check Salix and gov.uk for the current position), and Annual Investment Allowance capital tax relief for any business. Which of these a project qualifies for should be checked on gov.uk and any application aligned with the delivery programme.
What happens to the existing gas boiler?
It depends on the design. In a heat-pump-only project the boiler is decommissioned and removed once the new plant is commissioned and proven. In a hybrid design the boiler is retained as the peaking and backup source, and its flue, gas train and interlocks need to be re-certified as part of handover. The old boiler can be kept live through commissioning either way, so the building is not left without heat during the changeover.
Can the heat pump provide cooling as well as heating?
Yes, particularly ground-source and water-source, which deliver low-cost passive or active cooling in summer by reversing the flow, and air-to-air systems which heat and cool by design. That's valuable for offices, care homes, hotels and spaces with IT or process heat. A reversible install means one plant set covers both seasonal duties, which is factored into the plant-room and controls design.
What refrigerants will the system use, and does that affect the install?
Modern units use lower-GWP refrigerants such as R32 (A2L) and increasingly natural refrigerants like R290 (propane), CO2 and ammonia for high-temperature duties, driven by the F-Gas phase-down. Natural and flammable-refrigerant plant carries DSEAR/ATEX siting requirements, which change the plant-room layout and ventilation, so they are designed for from the start. Refrigerant work requires engineers certified under the F-Gas Regulation.