Research Looks To Cut Heat Pump Installation Times

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Researchers and installation businesses in Germany are testing digital workflows, prefabricated components and other practical changes to speed up heat pump retrofits. The WESPE project aims to reduce installation times by up to 40%, but that figure is a project goal, not a confirmed result across installations.

A German research project is testing digital tools and practical installation changes intended to speed up heat pump retrofits, with a goal of cutting installation times by up to 40%. The WESPE project brings researchers, installation businesses and industry partners together to address time-consuming work across the process of replacing oil- and gas-fired heating systems.

Coordinated by the German Sanitation, Heating and Air Conditioning Association, known as ZVSHK, WESPE examines both office and construction-site work. Project partners have mapped tasks that may be improved or digitised, including condition assessments, customer communication, site coordination, logistics, material procurement and installation. They have developed a web-based platform that gathers guidance and resources for the different phases of a heat pump retrofit.

The platform includes sections on customer consultation, planning and quotations, site preparation, installation, commissioning and invoicing. Its preliminary questionnaire, the WESPE Check, lets businesses assess how they currently work and receive tailored suggestions. Recommendations may cover digital or physical resources, tools, organisational changes or outside services.

Fraunhofer ISE is also developing digital workflows and software intended to connect office and on-site tasks. A project prototype, the Heat Pump PlanAR app, uses augmented reality. Researchers say it could eventually generate preliminary plans and quotations quickly and automatically create cost-optimised piping for digitally represented heating components. It is intended to reduce the need to move information manually between multiple software applications; the source describes it as a prototype, not a finished commercial product.

Fifteen specialist installation businesses are documenting office processes and work at 30 installation sites and helping identify practical use cases. A time-tracking app records how long individual on-site tasks take. Researchers are using those observations alongside tests at a Fraunhofer IBP innovation lab in Holzkirchen, where recreated home environments and additional facilities allow heat pump systems to be commissioned under defined conditions.

Trials with installation companies have examined prefabricated foundations, building penetrations, hydraulic solutions and pre-assembled components. The project report says the work found that standardised components, pre-assembled units and optimised processes can shorten installation times and improve efficiency. It does not provide a measured average time saving or independently verified sector-wide results.

Faster Retrofits Could Ease Installer Bottlenecks

Shorter, more predictable installations could help heating businesses complete more retrofit work with limited staff. The project is focused on a practical constraint: heat pump replacement involves planning, coordination, procurement and site work, and each can consume time or create opportunities for errors. The research comes as the sector faces a shortage of skilled workers, according to the source report.

If the methods prove workable beyond the test settings, shared digital resources and components prepared before arrival could reduce repeated administrative tasks and avoidable on-site work. That could benefit installers and households seeking to replace older heating systems. However, the project’s up-to-40% reduction is an aim, not a result established for the industry. No evidence in the source shows how widely the approach is being used or how much time a typical household installation would save.

Testing Changes Across the Retrofit Process

WESPE looks beyond the physical installation itself. Its partners first reviewed workflows that could be improved or digitised, then assembled relevant instructions and resources on the web platform. This reflects the project’s view that installation time is affected by decisions made before a crew reaches a property, as well as by the work completed on site.

The research combines field observations with controlled trials. The 15 participating businesses document work in offices and across 30 sites, while the Holzkirchen lab provides recreated residential settings for testing systems and methods. Researchers and industry representatives evaluate the trials together, and the findings are used to refine components and processes for practical use.

WESPE is coordinated by ZVSHK, with work involving the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, along with project partners. The source does not give a project budget, a final report date or a timetable for making the platform or app broadly available.

“The goal is to highlight practical options, tools and approaches that installation businesses can use to further develop their internal processes.”

— Susanne Schwab, researcher at Fraunhofer IBP

Time Savings Are Not Yet Quantified

The reported up-to-40% target should not be read as a measured outcome for all heat pump installations. The source provides no baseline installation duration, comparison period or breakdown showing which tasks account for expected savings. It also does not report a sample-wide result from the time-tracking work.

It remains unclear when the project will publish final findings, whether the prototype app will become a commercial tool, and how much of the platform’s guidance is available to installers outside the participating businesses. The source also does not quantify the costs of the proposed changes or say whether they affect total project costs for households.

Field Tests Will Inform Practical Guidance

Researchers and participating businesses are continuing to document work and test installation methods in field and lab settings. The stated next step within the project is to use those evaluations to identify further opportunities to improve workflows and adapt successful components and processes for practical use.

The source gives no date for a final results release or wider rollout. Further reporting would be needed to establish whether the targeted time reduction is achieved, which changes contribute most, and whether results hold across different homes, heating systems and installation businesses.

Key Questions

What is the WESPE project?

WESPE is a German project coordinated by ZVSHK that studies office and on-site processes involved in heat pump retrofits. Researchers, installation businesses and industry partners are testing digital tools and practical installation methods.

Does the project prove heat pump installations will be 40% faster?

No. Up to 40% is the project’s target. The source reports that certain approaches, including standardised components and pre-assembled units, showed potential to reduce installation time, but it does not provide a measured overall saving of 40%.

What is the Heat Pump PlanAR app designed to do?

The prototype augmented-reality app is intended to connect planning and on-site work. Researchers say it could generate preliminary plans and quotations and produce cost-optimised piping for digitally represented heating components. Its future availability is not stated.

How are the researchers testing the proposed changes?

Fifteen specialist businesses are documenting processes at their offices and at 30 installation sites. Researchers also test methods in a Fraunhofer IBP lab in Holzkirchen, which includes recreated home settings and facilities for commissioning heat pump systems under defined conditions.

When will installers be able to use the project tools?

The source does not give a public release date for the platform or the Heat Pump PlanAR app. It describes the app as a prototype and says the project is evaluating field and lab work to adapt findings for practical use.

Source: rss