Bursting onto the residential heating market is the new generation of heat pump boilers based on refrigerant technology, but just where does this leave the humble ac installer and what potential is there in the residential market anyway? In this heat pump feature Mitsubishi Electric’s Jason Tinsley explains.
A MAJOR cause of climate change is the energy we use to heat, light and run our buildings, with the domestic sector accounting for 27% of the UK's CO2 emissions.

Energy demand in the sector grew 17.5% from 1990 to 2003 and today, the average 3-bedroomed UK home produces around 5.6 tonnes of CO2 per annum, resulting in over 145,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year.

Almost 75% of the energy we use in our homes goes on space and water heating and the Government's response is the Code for Sustainable Homes which sets minimum standards for sustainability in new build homes.

This has led to manufacturers from different industries competing to prove their greenness and demonstrate that their own particular alternatives to gas boilers are the answer.

The air conditioning industry has known about the value of inverter-driven heat pumps for a number of years now and some manufacturers have translated this success in the commercial sector into residential water and space heating systems that can deliver a better performance than gas without the end user noticing any tangible difference.

Reduced emissions
Further improvements in design and building materials will reduce heat loss in our homes and hence the amount of heating required. However, there will still be a demand for both hot water and space heating and this heating will have to be provided by a low carbon solution. This is where the modern air source heat pump can provide an answer, addressing this issue and significantly reducing CO2 emissions.

I say 'modern' heat pumps because the technology has been available for decades, but the performance, reliability and CO2 reductions necessary can only be achieved with the new generation of inverter-driven air source heat pumps that have now become available.

Improvements of 300-400% over gas boilers are achievable right now and also take into account the inefficiencies of using electricity straight from the grid. As greener sources of electricity become available, the efficiencies will increase with corresponding decreases in CO2 emissions.

Beginning at a standing start, sales of these air source heat pumps look set to take off over the next couple of years as they prove their worth as the only really viable alternative to gas boilers.
In terms of market size and potential business, there are currently 1.6 million gas boilers sold each year and around 200,000 of these are targeted at the new build sector. This is where heat pump boilers will first make inroads as housing associations and housebuilders look to comply with the Code for Sustainable Homes.

However, as the technology develops and becomes more readily able to meet the requirements of the majority of the retrofit market, sales will grow year on year.

Who installs?
So there is a real opportunity for growth here for those able to take advantage of the opportunities, but the issue of who will be fitting heat pump boilers is one that has still to be fully resolved.

Some systems will still require fitting by fully qualified air conditioning engineers but others, such as our own Ecodan heat pump boiler require a simple single-phase electric connection and in/out water pipes.

For Ecodan, which has a sealed refrigerant circuit, this does mean that it can be installed by a fully qualified plumber who has attended our special training courses. These are designed to ensure that not only is the product properly installed but also that the house is of appropriate specification. However, they will still need to be serviced, maintained and, if necessary, repaired by someone fully conversant with the F-Gas Regulations.

Some companies are already able to tailor for this plumbing/aircon mix and these are likely to be the early adopters of this new technology. For others, it presents the opportunity to branch out into the domestic heating sector for the first time, or to form alliances with companies and industries previously seen as competitors.

One thing that is certain though is that the domestic heating sector is undergoing a quiet revolution using technology borrowed from the air conditioning industry so it is something that the average aircon fitter needs to be aware of.

Mitsubishi Electric
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