Design & planning / REFERENCE GUIDE

Heat pump electrical planning,
with the context included.

A heat pump’s heat output is different from its electrical input, and both vary with operating conditions.

What a proper assessment needs

Before this topic can be assessed for a real installation, the person responsible for the design or verification needs to establish the relevant facts:

  • Manufacturer electrical input data
  • Operating temperature range
  • Auxiliary and backup heating loads
  • Starting and inverter characteristics
  • Supply and circuit requirements

Factors to consider

Dividing a heating capacity by a single efficiency figure cannot establish the maximum electrical demand across all operating modes. Manufacturer electrical design data is the appropriate starting point.

Keep the evidence with the decision

Record the equipment, installation conditions and the source of the data used. Where a manufacturer supplies product-specific instructions or coordination data, the exact product matters. A generic example should not silently replace that information.

For UK installation work, use the applicable edition of BS 7671 together with relevant guidance and manufacturer instructions. The IET’s publication hub is the starting point for current editions and supporting material. This brief does not reproduce the standard or establish compliance with it.

IET · BS 7671 and supporting guidance

Related calculations

Our arithmetic tools show their scope, inputs and formulas explicitly. They can help you understand a relationship between quantities. They cannot replace the installation assessment described above.