Checking a quote: What needs to be in it before you accept

Evaluating a heat pump quote is difficult if you have no comparison. But there is a shortcut that hardly anyone uses: The public subsidy forms reveal what matters.

They ask for exactly the details that later determine eligibility for public subsidies and efficiency. If you know them, you have a checklist that doesn't depend on sales pitches.

What the public subsidy form wants to know

The technical data sheet for heat pumps in Upper Austria requires, among other things:

Manufacturer and type designation
ID number from the Produktdatenbank GET (GET product database)
Heat output in kW — according to the Energy Label or product database
Design temperature of the heat emission system — explicitly as "max. heating flow temperature"
Seasonal space heating energy efficiency (ηs)
GWP value of the refrigerant
Confirmation of proper commissioning

In addition, there is the confirmation that a heat meter and a separate electricity meter are present — to check the efficiency of the system. Vorarlberg requires the same two meters in its guidelines.

If your quote doesn't provide these points, things will get tight with the public subsidy application — and you won't be able to evaluate the system yourself either.

The checklist

About the device

Manufacturer, exact type designation, GET ID
Heat output in kW, and under which operating conditions
Refrigerant and GWP value
Sound power level — relevant for neighbours and in Vorarlberg for the public subsidy

About the design

Is a heating load calculation included? This is the most important point on the whole list. Without it, the device size is just a guess.
What design temperature is calculated?
How is the hot water preparation solved, and does it compromise the heating efficiency?

About the scope

Hydraulic balancing — as a separate item, not just an empty phrase
Heat meter and electricity meter
Dismantling and disposal of the old system
Electrical connection, meter box if necessary
Commissioning, adjustment, training
Permits: Who gets them, who pays for them?

About the process

Who submits the public subsidy applications — you or the installer?
Timeline until commissioning, binding or non-binding?
Warranty, maintenance intervals, availability in case of a fault

Three warning signs

Not a word about the heating load. A quote that states the device size but not where it comes from is an estimate. Oversized heat pumps cycle frequently, wear out faster and consume more — you only see the problem after the first winter.

Hydraulic balancing is missing or listed as a collective item. It is the cheapest lever for efficiency and without it, the system runs with an unnecessarily high flow temperature. If the item is missing, ask about it.

Noticeably round flat rates without a breakdown. Not because flat rates are bad, but because otherwise you can't compare what is included and what will be added later.

What you can look up yourself

As soon as a specific model is in the quote, you can look it up in the GET-Datenbank (GET database). It contains the values that the funding agency uses — regardless of what the brochure says. Five minutes, and you know whether the quote and the database match.

What else the system must fulfil can be found in the article about eligible devices.

And if you get stuck?

Comparing one quote with a second one is more useful than any checklist. Via our form, up to three installers will calculate your project for free — and where three quotes diverge, you know where you need to ask questions.