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Heat Pump Survey Checklist for Installers
What to check before you leave the property.
- Last updated: September 2026
- Heat Loss Hub · For Installers
A good heat-pump survey should leave the designer with enough reliable information to calculate, size and specify the system without repeatedly chasing missing details.
That means collecting more than room dimensions. A complete survey may need to cover:
- Property details
- Room measurements
- Building fabric
- Radiators and other emitters
- Existing pipework
- Plant area
- Hot-water requirements
- Cylinder information
- Outdoor-unit location
- Electrical route
- Photos
- Videos
- Plans and documents
- Customer constraints
- Any information that remains uncertain
The aim is simple: leave site knowing whether the project is actually ready for design.
KEY TAKEAWAY
The best time to find a missing measurement is before you leave the driveway.
GET IN TOUCH
Explore how this checklist feeds into the wider structured remote-survey and design workflow.
Before You Arrive
A good survey starts before you get to the property. There may already be useful information available that can help you prepare for the visit. Before attending, check whether you have:
- ☐Correct property address
- ☐Project type confirmed
- ☐Existing heating system known
- ☐Number of occupants
- ☐Number of bathrooms
- ☐EPC where available
- ☐Floor plans where available
- ☐Extension drawings where available
- ☐Architectural drawings where relevant
- ☐Previous heat-pump quote or design if relevant
- ☐Existing heat-loss calculation if available
- ☐Proposed outdoor-unit location if already discussed
This can help you identify anything unusual before the appointment.
KEY TAKEAWAY
A good survey starts before you arrive at the property.
Property Overview
Before measuring individual rooms, record the property as a whole. Useful information includes:
- ☐Property type
- ☐Approximate age
- ☐Number of storeys
- ☐Extensions
- ☐Major alterations
- ☐Existing heating system
- ☐Existing boiler location
- ☐Existing cylinder
- ☐Loft access
- ☐Plant area
- ☐Proposed heat-pump location
- ☐Customer constraints
- ☐Planned building works
Customer constraints may include preferred outdoor-unit location, preferred cylinder location, rooms the customer does not want altered, radiators they want retained, appearance concerns, noise concerns, access restrictions, future extension plans, or planned renovation work. These can materially affect the final design.
Record How Reliable the Information Is
Not every piece of survey information has the same level of confidence. It is useful to record where the information came from.
Measured
Recorded directly during the survey. For example: room dimension, radiator size, cupboard width.
Confirmed
Supported by a reliable document, equipment label or other evidence. For example: cylinder model from manufacturer label, wall specification from construction drawings.
Observed
Visible on site but not fully verified. For example: likely wall type, visible pipe route.
Assumed
An assumption is required because better information is currently unavailable.
Unknown
The information still needs to be established.
KEY TAKEAWAY
The checklist should show not only what was recorded, but how reliable that information is. An unknown is better than an invisible assumption.
Room-by-Room Survey Checklist
If the design is going to be calculated room by room, the survey also needs to work room by room. For every room, record:
- ☐Room name
- ☐Room use
- ☐Length
- ☐Width
- ☐Ceiling height
- ☐Open-plan connections
- ☐External walls
- ☐Windows
- ☐External doors
- ☐Floor boundary
- ☐Ceiling or roof boundary
- ☐Adjacent unheated areas
- ☐Existing emitter
- ☐Room photograph
- ☐Any unusual construction
- ☐Any uncertainty
For unusual rooms, also consider sloping ceilings, double-height spaces, bay windows, large glazed areas, conservatories, vaulted ceilings and open staircases.
KEY TAKEAWAY
If the design is room-by-room, the survey needs to be room-by-room too.
Building-Fabric Checklist
The heat-loss calculation depends on understanding the building fabric. Record where relevant:
- ☐External wall construction
- ☐Wall insulation
- ☐Floor construction
- ☐Floor insulation
- ☐Roof construction
- ☐Ceiling construction
- ☐Loft insulation
- ☐Window type
- ☐External door type
- ☐Extension construction
- ☐Flat roof areas
- ☐Unheated adjacent spaces
- ☐Any unusual construction
- ☐Any uncertain construction
Do not force a technical answer where the construction cannot be established confidently.
KEY TAKEAWAY
Unknown construction should be marked as unknown, not converted into a confident guess. If necessary, it can be queried, supported with documents or verified later.
Radiator and Emitter Checklist
Every emitter should be recorded clearly enough for the design team to identify and assess it. For each radiator or emitter:
- ☐Room
- ☐Height
- ☐Length
- ☐Radiator type
- ☐Number of panels where identifiable
- ☐Convector fins where identifiable
- ☐Towel rail recorded
- ☐Fan convector recorded
- ☐Underfloor heating recorded
- ☐Available wall space
- ☐Front photo
- ☐Side photo
- ☐Wider room photo where useful
If the radiator type is unclear, photographs may be more useful than guessing.
Also record any rooms where the customer wants the radiator retained, wall space is restricted, furniture limits replacement size, the emitter is unusual, or UFH is present.
Existing Pipework Checklist
Existing pipework can affect whether the proposed system is practical. Record what you can see and clearly identify what remains unknown. Check:
- ☐Primary flow size
- ☐Primary return size
- ☐Main distribution sizes
- ☐Visible branch sizes
- ☐Microbore present
- ☐Cylinder connections
- ☐Plant-room pipework
- ☐Existing pump arrangement
- ☐Zone valves where present
- ☐Known pipe routes
- ☐Concealed sections
- ☐Potential upgrade routes
- ☐Pipework photos
- ☐Route video where useful
Use a clear visibility status: Visible, Partly visible, Concealed, or Unknown.
KEY TAKEAWAY
Record what you can see, and clearly mark what you cannot. A survey should not imply certainty where the pipework is hidden.
Plant-Area Checklist
The designer needs to understand the existing plant area as a complete space. Record:
- ☐Existing boiler
- ☐Existing pumps
- ☐Zone valves
- ☐Controls
- ☐Existing hydraulic components
- ☐Filters or separators
- ☐Expansion vessel
- ☐Cylinder connections
- ☐Main flow and return
- ☐Available wall space
- ☐Available floor space
- ☐Service access
- ☐Pipe routes
- ☐Electrical equipment
- ☐Full plant-area photo
- ☐Video where the layout is difficult to understand
Take both wide contextual photographs and close-up detail photographs.
KEY TAKEAWAY
The designer needs to understand the plant area as a system, not as a collection of close-up photographs.
Cylinder and Hot-Water Checklist
The survey should record both the existing hot-water equipment and the household demand.
Household Demand
- ☐Number of occupants
- ☐Number of bathrooms
- ☐Baths
- ☐Large baths
- ☐Showers
- ☐High-flow showers where known
- ☐Other unusual hot-water demand
Existing Cylinder
- ☐Make
- ☐Model
- ☐Capacity
- ☐Manufacturer label photo
- ☐Coil information where available
- ☐Immersion heater
- ☐Existing connections
- ☐Cylinder condition where relevant
Cylinder Space
- ☐Cupboard height
- ☐Cupboard width
- ☐Cupboard depth
- ☐Door width
- ☐Access route
- ☐Service clearance
- ☐Full cupboard photo
- ☐Possible replacement-cylinder location
If the property currently has a combi boiler, record where a cylinder could realistically be installed.
Outdoor-Unit Location Checklist
The outdoor-unit location should be recorded in enough detail for the designer and installer to understand the site. Check:
- ☐Proposed position
- ☐Wide context photo
- ☐Wall or ground condition
- ☐Nearest windows
- ☐Nearest doors
- ☐Property boundary
- ☐Nearby obstructions
- ☐Available clearances
- ☐Access for installation
- ☐Base or mounting position
- ☐Primary pipe route
- ☐Cable route
- ☐Defrost-water route
- ☐Drainage potential
- ☐Alternative location if relevant
Take photographs that show the proposed location in context. A close-up of an empty piece of wall is rarely enough.
KEY TAKEAWAY
Photograph the location in context, not just the patch of wall where the unit might go.
Electrical Checklist
The survey should collect enough information for the electrical requirements to be assessed properly. Record:
- ☐Consumer-unit location
- ☐Full consumer-unit photo
- ☐Labels visible where possible
- ☐Electricity-meter location
- ☐Meter photo
- ☐Main cut-out visible where safely accessible
- ☐Existing supply information
- ☐Proposed cable route
- ☐Indoor equipment location
- ☐Outdoor-unit location
- ☐Route constraints
- ☐Existing relevant electrical equipment
The survey should record the existing arrangement.
KEY TAKEAWAY
Final electrical assessment and design should be carried out by the appropriate competent person.
Photo Checklist
Photographs should be intentional. A useful minimum set may include:
- ☐Property front
- ☐Property rear
- ☐Every radiator
- ☐Existing boiler
- ☐Plant area
- ☐Cylinder
- ☐Cylinder label
- ☐Consumer unit
- ☐Electricity meter
- ☐Outdoor-unit location
- ☐Main pipework
- ☐Loft and insulation where relevant
- ☐Unusual construction
- ☐Difficult access areas
Where appropriate, take both:
Context Photo
Shows where the item is.
Detail Photo
Shows labels, pipe sizes, dimensions or equipment detail.
KEY TAKEAWAY
If the designer has to ask what a photograph is showing, the photograph has not done its job.
Video Checklist
Video is useful where several photographs would still struggle to explain how different areas connect together. Consider recording:
- ☐Outdoor-unit location to plant area
- ☐Plant-room overview
- ☐Cylinder cupboard
- ☐Primary pipe route
- ☐Loft
- ☐Difficult access
- ☐Property walkthrough where the layout is unclear
A short spoken commentary can make the video much more useful. For example:
“This is the proposed heat-pump position. The route would come through this wall, along the garage and into the cylinder cupboard here.”
KEY TAKEAWAY
Video is most useful when the relationship between different parts of the property matters.
Documents Checklist
Collect relevant documents where they are available. These may include:
- ☐EPC
- ☐Floor plans
- ☐Architectural drawings
- ☐Extension drawings
- ☐Building-control information
- ☐Window schedule
- ☐New-build specification
- ☐Existing heat-loss calculation
- ☐Previous heat-pump design
- ☐Previous quotations
- ☐Manufacturer documentation
- ☐Existing cylinder data
Documents can save time, but they should still be checked against the property.
KEY TAKEAWAY
A plan may show what was originally intended rather than what is currently there.
Customer Constraints and Preferences
A technically correct system still needs to work for the customer and the property. Record any known constraints such as:
- ☐Preferred outdoor-unit location
- ☐Preferred cylinder location
- ☐Rooms the customer does not want altered
- ☐Radiators they want retained
- ☐Appearance concerns
- ☐Noise concerns
- ☐Access restrictions
- ☐Planned renovation
- ☐Planned extension
- ☐Future room changes
- ☐Hot-water expectations
A technically good design can still fail the project if it ignores a known customer constraint.
KEY TAKEAWAY
These issues are much easier to address before the design has been completed.
Surveyor Notes
Not every property fits neatly into a standard form. Use a notes section for anything unusual. Examples include unusual construction, difficult pipe routes, suspected concealed pipework, restricted access, conflicting property information, unusual plant, customer concerns, areas requiring designer attention, and information that could not be verified.
KEY TAKEAWAY
A structured checklist should still leave space for professional judgement.
Critical vs Non-Critical Missing Information
Not every missing item should stop the project. It is useful to distinguish between:
Critical Missing Information
The design cannot progress reliably without it. Examples might include a missing room dimension, outdoor-unit location not established, critical construction uncertainty, no information about existing pipework where it materially affects design, or cylinder location not identified.
Follow-Up Information
Useful information that can potentially be collected later without another full site visit. Examples might include a clearer cylinder label, better radiator photograph, additional document, or one missing cupboard measurement.
KEY TAKEAWAY
Not every missing item should stop the job, but critical gaps should. This helps the design team prioritise what actually needs resolving.
Before You Leave the Property
This is the final check. Before getting in the van, ask:
Rooms and Fabric
- ☐Every room measured
- ☐Ceiling heights recorded
- ☐Windows and doors recorded
- ☐Construction understood well enough for heat loss
- ☐Uncertain construction clearly flagged
Emitters
- ☐Every radiator or emitter recorded
- ☐Dimensions taken
- ☐Photos taken
- ☐UFH identified where present
Pipework and Plant
- ☐Visible pipe sizes recorded
- ☐Concealed sections identified
- ☐Main routes understood
- ☐Plant area documented
- ☐Relevant components photographed
Hot Water
- ☐Household demand recorded
- ☐Existing cylinder recorded
- ☐Cylinder space measured
- ☐Photos taken
Outdoor Unit
- ☐Proposed location recorded
- ☐Context photos taken
- ☐Boundary and openings understood
- ☐Pipe route considered
- ☐Defrost-water route considered
- ☐Installation access understood
Electrical
- ☐Consumer unit photographed
- ☐Meter photographed
- ☐Potential electrical route documented
Evidence
- ☐Required photos taken
- ☐Required videos taken
- ☐Relevant documents collected
- ☐Customer constraints recorded
- ☐Unknown items clearly flagged
- ☐No critical information missing
KEY TAKEAWAY
The best time to find a missing measurement is before you leave the driveway.
What Is the Survey Status After the Visit?
Once the final check is complete, give the survey a clear status.
Ready for Design
The critical project information is complete enough to move forward.
Needs Remote Follow-Up
One or more items are missing, but they can likely be collected by customer photo, additional measurement, document upload, short video or installer clarification, without another site visit.
Needs Site Revisit
Critical information still needs physical verification. The project should not enter final design until the issue has been resolved.
This makes the handover much clearer for everyone involved.
Handover to Design
A good site survey should flow directly into the technical design. The process might be:
Survey completed → Completeness check → Critical gaps resolved → Ready for design → Room-by-room heat loss → Emitter sizing → Heat-pump selection → Pipe sizing → Hydraulic design → Cylinder selection → Design pack
The designer should not have to reconstruct the property from a collection of disconnected notes and photographs.
Explore: What Information Does a Heat Pump Designer Need From an Installer?
Digital vs Paper Survey Checklist
A heat-pump survey checklist can work on paper or digitally.
Paper Checklist
Can be useful for quick field notes, simple jobs, backup and basic repeatability.
Digital Checklist
Can add mandatory fields, photo uploads, video uploads, conditional questions, missing-data warnings, an audit trail, remote follow-up and direct handover into design.
KEY TAKEAWAY
The checklist matters more than the format, but digital workflows make missing information much harder to hide. For businesses completing regular heat-pump surveys, digital collection can also help standardise the quality of information between different surveyors.
Can the Checklist Be Used for Remote Surveys?
Yes. The same core information is needed whether the data is collected by an installer on site, by a surveyor, by a customer, from plans, or through a hybrid workflow. The difference is who collects it and what still needs verification.
Frequently Asked Questions
A detailed survey may need to cover property dimensions, building fabric, radiators, pipework, plant, hot water, cylinder, outdoor-unit location, electrical route, photos, documents and customer constraints. The exact requirements depend on the property and the scope of the design.
Typically room length, width and ceiling height. Windows, doors and relevant building boundaries should also be recorded for room-by-room heat-loss calculations.
If the existing radiators are going to be assessed as part of the design, each relevant emitter should be identified and measured.
Typical information includes wall construction, floor construction, roof or ceiling construction, insulation, windows and doors. Where construction cannot be confirmed, the uncertainty should be recorded.
Useful information can include primary flow and return sizes, distribution pipe sizes, microbore, cylinder connections, plant-room pipework, known routes and concealed sections.
Useful information includes make/model, capacity, label, coil information where available, immersion, cupboard dimensions, access and household hot-water demand.
Record proposed position, boundaries, nearby openings, obstructions, ground/base, access, pipe route, cable route and defrost-water route.
Typical survey information includes consumer-unit location, consumer-unit photos, meter, supply information where known, and proposed cable route. Final electrical assessment should be carried out by the appropriate competent person.
At minimum, consider photographs of the property, every radiator, boiler, plant area, cylinder, consumer unit, meter, outdoor-unit location, main pipework and relevant loft/insulation areas.
Video can be very useful for showing plant layout, pipe routes, outdoor-unit route, cylinder cupboard and difficult access.
Yes, where available. It can provide useful background property information, but important details should still be verified where necessary.
Yes. Floor plans and architectural drawings can provide useful geometry and layout information, particularly for new builds and major renovations.
Record it as uncertain. Do not force an assumption just to complete the form. Further evidence or verification can then be requested.
Record what is visible and clearly identify the concealed sections. The designer can then determine whether further information or verification is required.
Use a structured checklist and carry out a final completeness check before leaving the property. Most avoidable revisits start with one forgotten measurement, photograph or technical detail.
Yes. Digital forms can be particularly useful for mandatory fields, photos, videos, conditional questions, missing-information warnings and direct design handover.
This checklist is intended to help collect the information needed for heat-pump design. It does not replace the installer’s responsibility to follow the applicable MCS standards, manufacturer requirements and regulatory obligations.
Want to Leave Site Knowing the Project Is Ready for Design?
Use a structured survey checklist to capture property details, room measurements, building fabric, emitters, pipework, hot water, outdoor-unit location, electrical route, photos, videos, documents and unknowns.
Then carry out the final completeness check before leaving the property.
The goal is not to make the survey longer. It is to make sure the important information is collected once and handed over properly.
USE THE HEAT PUMP SURVEY CHECKLIST
Use a repeatable field checklist to make sure the project is complete enough for design before you leave site.
Explore: Remote Survey Guides