By Dan Sedgwick, founder and managing director of Checker
A heat pump installation is not finished when the unit starts running. It is finished when the customer understands how to live with it, the office holds a complete record, and the next engineer can see exactly what was designed, installed and commissioned.
That last point matters. Heat pumps are not simply boiler swaps. Their performance depends on the system around them: heat loss, emitter sizing, flow temperatures, controls and the settings left at commissioning. If those details disappear into separate forms, photos and inboxes, the next visit begins with guesswork.
Record the job as it happens
The cleanest handover starts before commissioning day. The job record should connect the original survey and heat-loss calculations to the final design, quote, equipment and any changes agreed on site.
When an installer has to move a unit, change an emitter or alter a control setting, that decision should be recorded against the same job. A short note and a clear photo can explain more six months later than a perfect-looking certificate with no context.
At commissioning, record the makes, models and serial numbers, test results and final control settings. The manufacturer’s commissioning checklist matters here, as do the readings and settings that another competent engineer would need to understand how the system was left.
Using one job record stops the same information being written once for the customer, again for the office and a third time for certification or grant administration.
Give the customer two levels of information
The full handover pack is essential. For an MCS installation, it brings together commissioning forms and checklists, maintenance requirements, manuals, warranty details, performance information and the documents required by any relevant incentive scheme. Tell the customer when to expect the MCS certificate and add it to the job record when it arrives.
But a thick folder is not the same as a useful explanation.
The customer also needs a simple first page, backed up by a proper conversation. Show them how the controls work, what normal operation looks like, how hot water is managed and who to call if something does not look right. Explain which settings have been chosen and why changing them without advice may affect comfort or performance.
This is especially important for customers moving from a boiler. A heat pump will often run for longer at a lower temperature. That can feel unfamiliar even when the system is working as designed. If nobody explains that difference, a normal operating pattern can look like a fault and lead to unnecessary call-backs or settings being changed.
Ask the customer to operate the controls while the installer is still there. A signature should confirm a real handover, not replace one.
Build one record for everyone
Once the job is complete, the office should be able to open one record and find the quote, design, site changes, photos, commissioning information, signed handover, warranty details and final invoice. The customer pack should be produced from that same information.
This creates a simple chain from what was promised to what was fitted and how it was left. It also makes future servicing easier. If the original engineer is away or has left the business, somebody else can understand the installation without calling the customer for documents or trying to rebuild the history from emails.
The same record can support a complaint, warranty query or audit. More importantly, it gives the firm a chance to resolve questions quickly because the evidence is already attached to the job.
Use the next-engineer test
Before closing a heat pump installation, ask one practical question: could another engineer attend this property tomorrow and understand the system without phoning the person who installed it?
They should be able to see what was designed, what changed, what was tested, which settings were left, what the customer was shown and where the final documents sit.
If the answer is no, the handover is not complete. A useful job record gives the installer, customer, office and next engineer the same clear history of the job.
Author bio: Dan Sedgwick is the Founder and Managing Director of Checker, job management software for gas, electrical, plumbing and heating tradespeople across the UK and Ireland. Before moving into software, he worked as a gas engineer.
