Operating data needed for a heat-pump assessment

Thermal data

Record source and sink temperatures, flow rates, return temperatures and time profiles. Where meters are absent, a short measurement campaign can be more useful than years of monthly bills.

Production context

Products, batches, shifts, cleaning cycles, maintenance, seasonal shutdowns and planned expansion explain why loads change. Data should be timestamped so source and sink coincidence can be tested.

Utility and asset records

Collect electricity interval data, contracted power, single-line diagrams, gas consumption, boiler efficiency tests, refrigeration logs, equipment age and control sequences. Record uncertainty rather than filling gaps with optimistic assumptions.

Use interval data where timing matters

Monthly gas and electricity bills help establish scale but cannot prove simultaneity. Heat-pump integration usually needs fifteen-minute or hourly data for source temperatures, sink temperatures, flow and operating state. Faster sampling may be needed where batches or compressor stages change quickly.

Data should cover representative production, cleaning, weekends, shutdowns and seasonal conditions. A short survey taken during full output will overstate annual hours if the plant frequently changes product or stops lines.

Reconcile meters with the process

Utility meters should be checked against production logs and equipment status. A rise in gas use may reflect a colder inlet stream, a different recipe or poor boiler control. Without process context, the baseline can attribute unrelated variation to the proposed heat pump.

Sensor accuracy matters because thermal power is calculated from flow and temperature difference. Small temperature errors become material on a circuit with a narrow temperature change. Record sensor type, calibration and timestamp alignment.

Create an assumption register

Every missing measurement should become a named assumption with a range, owner and date for resolution. Examples include boiler efficiency, return temperature during cleaning, refrigeration condensing conditions and future production hours.

The investment model should show which conclusions change when each assumption moves. This prevents a provisional supplier value from becoming an invisible fact as the project develops.