Heat-Pump Commissioning and Handover Checklist

Handover is your chance to collect the records that connect the proposal to the equipment and settings now in your home. A tidy pack makes future service, warranty, comfort, or billing questions easier to investigate. It is a useful baseline, not proof that every future outcome is guaranteed.

Ask for a record that follows the job

Keep the signed proposal and every approved change order. Ask the responsible installer to identify the installed outdoor and indoor units, controls, cylinder, backup heat, and any changed configuration by model and serial number. The record should explain differences from the agreed scope and identify any work that another contractor completed.

Request the design information used for the job, such as the home’s assessed heating requirement, design conditions, and the basis for selecting the equipment. Ask for the tests and checks that apply to this system, who performed them, when they were done, and the recorded results. Depending on the technology, work may include airflow or water-flow checks, refrigerant-related records, electrical checks, or confirmation that connected emitters and controls operate as intended. These are tasks for qualified people. You can request the record without opening equipment, touching wiring, changing settings, or handling refrigerant.

Build a usable handover pack

Ask for copies of the following where they apply to your equipment and location:

Pack section	Useful record
Agreed job	Final proposal, approved changes, exclusions, open items, responsible companies
Installed system	Model and serial numbers, system diagram, changed components or routes
Design and checks	Design basis, relevant test/check records, results, date, person responsible
Owner operation	Control names, normal modes, initial settings, safe shutdown/contact instructions
Compliance	Applicable permits, inspections, registrations, or scheme certificate and confirmation
Support	Manuals, warranty terms, service contact, maintenance schedule, complaint route

Ask the installer to show you the controls and explain the normal operating mode, hot-water schedule, filters or user maintenance, defrost expectations where relevant, and who to call if the system stops. Write down the settings and explanations you were given. Warranty terms are specific to the model, region, installer, and registration conditions, so keep the exact documents that identify your unit.

For an installation in England, Scotland, or Wales that falls within the energy-device registration guidance, ask which Distribution Network Operator route applied and keep the notice or approval record. The owner is expected to ensure the required notice has been received; an application to connect may require authorization before work starts. This guidance should not be generalized to Northern Ireland or to every heat-pump installation. Ask the installer which local building, electrical, planning, and grant records apply to your project.

Record gaps while the installer is present

Walk through the pack with the person responsible for handover. List missing documents, unfinished work, provisional items, faults observed, and who will resolve each one by what date. Ask for a corrected record if the installed model or scope differs from the contract. If an item does not apply, ask for that to be stated rather than leaving an ambiguous blank.

A certificate only has meaning within its named scheme and scope; it is not a universal requirement. A program evaluator’s form may belong only to that program. Keep records together with the quote comparison and the installer responsibility checks. If you later suspect a safety or performance problem, preserve the records and ask a suitably qualified professional to investigate.