Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE have developed a prototype of a manufacturer-independent app for plumbing, heating and air conditioning (HVAC) contractors that enables heating systems to be planned virtually. Unlike existing software tools, the Heat Pump PlanAR app combines several steps of the planning and installation process in a single application. The software prototype was developed as part of the collaborative research project WESPE, led by the German Association for Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning (ZVSHK), and designed in close collaboration with trade contractors. The next step is to further develop the application in partnership with interested software companies and bring it to market.
“Accelerating heat pump installation is an important goal, but it is also an ongoing process that requires workflows to be regularly reviewed and errors and challenges to be analysed,” says Annette Uhl, research associate at Fraunhofer ISE. As part of the WESPE project, the research team first surveyed trade contractors across Germany to identify their requirements. Most respondents expressed a preference for a single, integrated tool covering the entire installation process. This would eliminate the time-consuming transfer of data between different applications used, for example, to survey existing buildings, carry out technical system design or prepare quotations.
Heat Pump Planning with Augmented Reality
“Our aim was therefore to develop a tool that integrates multiple workflows in order to accelerate the installation process and reduce the workload for contractors,” says Annette Uhl. The newly developed Heat Pump PlanAR app enables HVAC professionals to explore different system configurations, pipework layouts and heat pump positioning options during their very first customer visit. It also simplifies quotation preparation and automatically compares the costs and workload associated with different system configurations. In addition, the app facilitates communication between staff in the office and colleagues on site.
Once the app, installed on a tablet, has captured the plant room using a 3D scan, HVAC professionals can select a suitable system diagram from the database. The software then automatically positions the main components within the scanned space and calculates a cost-optimised pipework layout. Users can view the configuration in situ using augmented reality and make manual adjustments where necessary. Subsequent modifications can also be made remotely from the office using a virtual reality view. Finally, the app allows users to export both a bill of materials and an estimate of the expected installation time.
The newly developed app, or individual components of it, is now available to software providers for integration into their own solutions, further development and commercialisation. Selected functions, including component placement optimisation and automatic pipework routing, are available as licensable web services.
WESPE – “Faster, More Productive and More Efficient Heat Pump Installation”
With sales up 40 per cent compared with the same six-month period of the previous year, heat pumps are currently among the most sought-after heating technologies. “Anyone running an HVAC business knows that a lack of work is not the problem. What we are short of is the time of our skilled professionals,” says Frank Senger, Vice-President of the German Association for Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning (ZVSHK). The Heat Pump PlanAR app is designed to help contractors and installers significantly accelerate heat pump installation amid growing skilled labour shortages and increasing cost pressures. In addition to the app developed by Fraunhofer ISE, the project partners have produced two online resources: the WESPE Check and a knowledge platform. Both enable HVAC businesses to assess their own processes free of charge and identify opportunities for improvement.
The three-year WESPE research project was funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) and coordinated by the ZVSHK. Other project partners included the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, Hans Schramm GmbH, the Berlin Association of Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning Contractors, and 15 trade businesses.
Fraunhofer ISE will be exhibiting at Chillventa at stand 7A-408.
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