Commissioning of heat interface units
A heat interface unit that is commissioned badly causes faults for years. That is why we commission them dwelling by dwelling to the same protocol, ten to twelve per engineer per day, with a handover report you can pass on straight away.
- 10 to 12 a day
- Heat interface units per engineer, depending on your protocol
- Over 750
- Heat interface units commissioned since we started in 2024
- Your house style
- A handover record per dwelling in PDF, in your name
Commissioning, start-up or handover: the same job
The units are on the wall, the system is filled and the network is supplying. Then someone has to establish, dwelling by dwelling, that there is hot water, that the heating and where applicable the cooling work, that the heat meter counts and that the data are correct. Whether you call it commissioning, start-up, putting into service or simply IBS: it is the last quality moment of your project, and the moment that decides how many faults the units will produce in the years ahead.
We do this for contractors and installers handing over a project and for heat suppliers who take the units into management afterwards. Since we started in 2024 we have commissioned over 750 heat interface units, in new-build apartment complexes, housing estates and replacement projects in existing buildings.
What you get back for every dwelling
What we deliver is not a visit but a result. After our commissioning you have, for every dwelling:
- A fully working and sealed heat interface unit
- A handover record in PDF, in your own organisation's house style
- The serial numbers of the heat interface unit, the communication module and the heat meter
- The meter readings at handover, for heat and where present for cooling
- The measured temperatures: primary, secondary and domestic hot water
- Photos of the unit, the meter and the plot number, so every report is tied to the right dwelling
- A concrete recommendation for every deviation, also outside our scope
That package is why clients ask us. Not because a valve needs opening, but because afterwards there is something they can take forward themselves to the buyer, the resident or the heat supplier.
The protocol, identical in every dwelling
We work through the same list in every dwelling, in the same order. That is dull, and that is exactly the point: nothing gets missed on the day eighty dwellings have to be done.
- Pre-checkFlow and return connected correctly, valves open, system filled and vented, power and mains water present
- Hot waterTime to temperature, the temperature itself and stability while drawing
- HeatingFlow and the enable signal from the in-home system towards the heat emitters
- CoolingWhere the installation provides it
- Primary network conditionsFlow and return temperature assessed, so you know whether the network is performing
- LeaksThe unit and every connection checked, and fixed on the spot where possible
- ControlsThe settings of the unit and how it works together with the thermostat and the manifold
- Heat meter and communication moduleDisplay active, serial numbers and readings recorded
- SealingSo that the metering cannot be disputed later
- RecordingPhotos, serial numbers, readings and temperatures go straight into the report
Your protocol or ours
Many clients have their own commissioning form, sometimes prescribed by the heat supplier, sometimes from their own quality assurance. For us that is not the exception but the starting point. We work through your form point by point, from the pipe insulation to the setting of the balancing valve, and return it completed in your house style. If you have no protocol of your own, we use ours.
The protocol also sets the pace. With a compact protocol one engineer commissions ten to twelve units a day. If the in-home system is included, or your form asks for extra measurements and photos, we work that out with you beforehand, so the schedule is right before the first engineer gets into the van.
What has to be ready when we arrive
We only reach ten to twelve units a day when the dwellings are ready. That is not our demand but your interest: every dwelling we have to skip is a second trip. So we agree beforehand what is in place when the engineer walks in.
- The system is installed, filled, vented and pressurised
- Heat, and where applicable cooling, is being supplied; there is power and the controls work
- The dwellings are accessible, and there are enough of them per day to fill the schedule
- We have received the addresses or plot numbers, the unit types and the set values beforehand
If a dwelling turns out not to be ready, we note it in the report and move on to the next. The schedule stays intact and at the end of the day you know exactly which dwellings are still open and why.
The in-home system too, not just the unit
An interface unit that is correctly set on its own can still leave a cold bedroom. Usually the manifold is to blame: never balanced, so the nearest circuit takes everything. That only surfaces in November, long after handover.
- Balancing the underfloor manifold circuit by circuit
- Checking heat delivery room by room with a thermal imaging camera
That camera is not for show. It is the only way to see within a few minutes whether every circuit actually heats up, rather than going by what the manifold says.
The reporting carries your name
The handover record comes per dwelling in PDF and in your organisation's house style. Not ours. That means you can pass it straight on to the buyer, the resident, the housing association or the heat supplier, without anyone having to retype anything first.
The recorded serial numbers and meter readings are no side issue. You need them for your own administration, for the warranty and for linking dwelling, meter and consumer. If you also want them as a list for your own system, we supply it with the project.
What we find and what we do with it
Something always comes up at a handover. A defect in the unit we fix on the spot; that is part of the commissioning, only the material is extra. If something cannot be done immediately, we report it with a concrete recommendation, so you know whose move it is and roughly what it takes.
If a deviation lies outside our scope, we report it all the same. A crooked connection or a misplaced sensor takes us ten seconds to spot and would otherwise cost you a service visit after the keys are handed over. A working handover is only possible when the system is technically sound; if it is not, the report states what still has to be done.
The installation too, if that suits you better
Many clients have us do the installation alongside the commissioning. Then everything is fitted and connected by the same party and there is no argument about who was present for what.
- Fitting the mounting bracket and the interface unit
- Fitting and pressure testing ball valves and flexible connections
- Including fixings and packing material
On which projects
New-build apartment blocks and residential districts, refurbishment of existing communal systems, and extensions to existing networks. Also for fitting or replacing heat meters and complete interface units in existing buildings.
We work to your programme, including phased handover, and alongside the main contractor, the installer and the network operator. Handover never waits on us.
We work throughout the Netherlands, with Houten as our base.
Frequently asked questions about commissioning
How many heat interface units does one engineer commission per day?
Ten to twelve, depending on the client's protocol. A compact protocol covering the unit, the meter and the registration reaches twelve. If the in-home system is included, with manifold balancing and a room-by-room check, it is fewer. We work that out with you beforehand.
What has to be ready before you can start?
The system must be installed, filled, vented and pressurised, there must be heat and power, and the controls must work. We also need the addresses or plot numbers, the unit types and the set values beforehand, and access to enough dwellings on the day itself. Dwellings that are not ready are recorded in the report.
Do you work with our own commissioning protocol?
Yes. Many contractors and heat suppliers have their own form; we work through it point by point and return it completed in your house style. If you have no protocol of your own, we use ours. Client-specific registrations are always open for discussion.
What does the handover report per dwelling contain?
The address or plot number, make, type and serial number of the heat interface unit, the serial numbers of the heat meter and the communication module, the meter readings at handover, the measured temperatures, the result of every check, photos, and a concrete recommendation for any deviation. The report is delivered digitally per dwelling as a pdf, in your house style.
Do you also install the heat interface units?
Yes, if that is more convenient. Then we fit the mounting bracket and the unit, fit the ball valves and flexible hoses and pressure-test, and commission afterwards. Everything from the same party, so no discussion about who was there when.
What happens if a unit does not work during commissioning?
A defect in the unit we fix on the spot; that is part of the commissioning, only the material is extra. If it is an installation error or a defect in the system, we record what is wrong and what has to happen, so the contractor or installer can resolve it before we hand the unit over in working order after all.
A project to commission?
Send us the number of dwellings, the unit type and the period you have in mind. We will tell you what we can do and when.
Our other services
Service and maintenance for heat interface unitsCall-out service and maintenance for heat interface units of every make District heating substation maintenanceMaintenance on the substation that connects the building to the network Back Office as a ServiceWe take over the customer contact and the administration Radiator and underfloor heating serviceWe resolve the complaints that do not sit with the unit Thermostats and controlsChoosing, setting up and explaining the controls Service & maintenanceContracts, the 24/7 call-out service and the Heat Act