Heat Pump Noise on commercial property

[witchesrave]

I live above one commercial high street building and also next to a pub. Both of these businesses have obviously taken advantage of the govt scheme to install air flow heat pumps on their external walls (one of which is directly below my bedroom window, the other on top of the pub roof about 3 metres from my bedroom window). The sound they emit is like having a running car engine or an industrial fridge, humming throughout the night in intermittent bursts of around half an hour, before turning off and then coming back on about 20 minutes later. When they switch off, you realise how quiet it can be and thus, rather than becoming background noise when they're on (like traffic, which I'm used to), they are slowly making me lose my mind and consequently sleep.

Does anyone else live near one of these horrendous things? Is there anything that can be done about the noise they emit? I've had several other noise problems with both of these businesses over the last few years and I feel like it's nigh on impossible to communicate with them about yet another problem.

[Andwar]

I would speak to Lewisham's planning department about it.

There are certain rules and regulations when it comes to installing heat pumps as well as acceptable noise levels. Normally between 40-60db which is the same as an air-conditioner system. The installers should follow the MGIS (MCS 020) guidelines:

https://mcscertified.com/
https://mcscertified.com/wp-content/upl ... CS-020.pdf

Here is a good article - https://sourceheatpump.com/air-source-heat-pump-noise/

Hope this helps.

[ALIB]

I will cover a few issues with Heat Pumps. Firstly, my over-riding thought is that they were politically endorsed, as associates of politicians had made huge financial investments in the supply of heat pumps.
Secondly, although the theory behind their function is sound, in practice, they are quite an inefficient way of heating, and can have problems raising the temperature of the heating system in particularly cold weather.
On a practical level, I have recently been dealing with residents who've had Heat Pumps installed, and their complaints centred around the fact they were too expensive to run (your electric bills will go up), didn't work, and made a hell of a racket.
Neighbourhood noise is a particularly subjective area. There is some Guidance for enforcement, but no legislation. The manipulation of gathered noise measurements can easily be manipulated to gain the desired outcome in any arbitration, which is why Councils don't really bother with it as an issue and are unlikely to have directly employed specialists.

[stone-penge]

I think you will will find the manufactures of gas boilers have spent considerable sums of money trying to influence politicians and the current government to endorse the ridiculous notion of Hydrogen as an credible alternative to Natural Gas .That said they also tend to offer Heat Pumps(HPs) as well as they clearly know which way the tide will turn in the medium term
However a short-termist government , especially a distracted one like we have at present has seriously hindered the introduction of HPs into the UK market by failing to provide support for developing the capacity and capabilities of the supply chain to transit from Gas Central Heating to HPs.
There are now circa 20 million HP installed in Europe , whereas in the UK there are a pitiful number installed and often poorly designed and installed by a supply chain with limited knowledge and understanding.
I think ASHP fan noise can be problematic in dense housing situations though