Comparing industrial heat pump quotations: what each proposal must state

Compare industrial heat pump quotes with confidence. Discover the essential specs, costs, and performance data every proposal must include before you buy.

Comparing industrial heat pump quotations: what each proposal must state

Two quotations for an industrial heat pump can differ by a wide margin and still both be honest. One may include the storage, piping and controls. The other may quote the machine alone. One may assume 60°C output, the other 90°C.

So the price alone tells a buyer very little. We set out what a proposal must state before two of them can be compared.

The duty

Every proposal should state the duty it is sized for, in the same terms:

• the heat output in kW
• the output temperature
• the hours a day it runs
• the load it replaces, and its temperature today

If two suppliers sized for different duties, the prices are for different machines. Send both the same duty sheet before comparing anything.

The COP, with its conditions

A COP without its temperatures means nothing. The proposal must state the source temperature and the output temperature the COP was measured at.

The gap between them drives the number. A water source unit at 60°C output can reach COP 4.5 to 5.2. Measured Indian performance at 120°C is about 2.0. A proposal that quotes a high COP and a high output temperature together should explain how.

Ask for the COP at your own duty, not the best figure in the range.

The heat source

The proposal must say where the heat comes from: ambient air, a warm water stream, or a cascade from a cold source. If it is a water stream, it should name the stream, its temperature and its flow.

A water source proposal that has not measured the stream has guessed the COP.

The scope

This is where quotations differ most. Check each item is in or out:

1. The heat pump itself.
2. Hot water storage and its insulation.
3. Piping, valves and the heat exchanger to the process.
4. Electrical work from the panel to the machine.
5. Controls integration with the BMS, SCADA or PLC network.
6. Civil work, foundations and any plant room changes.
7. Commissioning and the test that proves the output.

A low price with items 2 to 7 left out is not a low price.

The electrical load

The proposal should state the electrical input in kW at your duty. A 500 kW heat duty at COP 3.5 draws about 143 kW. Check that figure against the headroom in your sanctioned load.

If the load must rise, that cost and that time sit outside the heat pump order. Plan for them.

Refrigerant and certification

Ask which refrigerant the machine uses, and its global warming potential. Industrial machines in India use refrigerants including R1234ze and R245fa, and the two differ widely on that measure.

Ask which certifications the project will carry, if your plant or customer requires them. Certification is often obtained per project, so it should be written into the order.

Service and warranty

The proposal should state:

• the warranty term, and what it covers
• the service response time after a breakdown call
• where the nearest service engineer is based
• which spares are stocked in India

The payback, with its assumptions

A payback figure is only as good as its inputs. The proposal should list four:

1. The fuel price today.
2. The electricity tariff.
3. The hours each load runs.
4. The COP at the output temperature.

Against gas, furnace oil, LDO and diesel, a heat pump usually pays back on running cost. Against coal, it generally does not on grid power, and an honest proposal says so.

Some suppliers also offer a shared savings contract, paid from the measured saving. If one does, the proposal should state how the saving will be measured.

A one-page comparison

Put each proposal’s answers side by side, one row per item above. Any blank row is a question to send back before you decide.

The industrial heat pumps page sets out the configurations most proposals will offer. To have a duty sheet priced on these terms, ask Tetra Heat Pump for a proposal.