Heat pump air conditioning could thrive despite the depressed economic climate, says Dave Lacey, commercial director of Vaillant Air Conditioning.
THE general economic slowdown created by the so-called credit crunch will inevitably impact all sections of the ac market. However, the long-term prospects for heat pumps, in particular, are very good.

With energy costs set to continue rising over the next two to three years, more investment decisions will need to include on-going running costs as a key factor. Add to this the increased demand for smaller footprint installations that are simpler to operate along with stricter regulations and you have a perfect set of market drivers for heat pumps.

Greater scrutiny

The energy efficiency requirements set by Part L of the Building Regulations and the soon-to-be-mandatory air conditioning inspections imposed under the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) mean that the on-going operation of air conditioning is facing more scrutiny than ever.

Today’s heat pump technology offers building services system designers a range of helpful features for meeting regulatory requirements without compromising users’ expectations.

As well as being considerably more efficient and cost-effective to run than two separate systems, combining heating and cooling in one reverse cycle system can also reduce the initial capital outlay for end clients in many applications. This can be extremely persuasive during an economic downturn when many building owners would otherwise be looking to defer essential equipment upgrades.

Having a single system also simplifies operation and on-going maintenance so improving the chances of the end user keeping the system running at its most energy efficient.

Heat pumps can deliver COPs as high as 3 or 4, and modern inverter technology also allows heat pump systems to extract heat energy from the outside air even on the coldest days of winter.

This is proving particularly persuasive to a growing number of specifiers keen to deliver a truly all-year-round system without recourse to supplementary heating during peak demand times, which can drive up the energy consumption.

All air conditioning systems will be subject to regular inspections by 2011 under the terms of the EPBD and users will be obliged to act on the recommendations of the inspectors. In many cases, we can be sure the users will be advised to upgrade cooling-only systems to heat pumps to reduce energy consumption and improve the overall performance of their installations.

Vaillant heat pumps, for example, make use of the very latest DC inverter technology to ensure the compressors run at the precise speed to match the cooling/heating load, thereby ensuring the system is always running at its most energy efficient.

Inverter-driven compressors improve efficiency by closely matching the running speeds to demand so avoiding unnecessary energy consumption at off-peak times. Inverter-driven reverse cycle heat pumps also provide better comfort conditions as they reach target temperatures more quickly than conventional systems and are better able to maintain temperatures over extended periods.

Heat pumps as retrofits

Traditionally, of course, most UK buildings already have wet central heating systems or relatively old fashioned electric heating in place. This means there is now an important balance to be struck if designers are considering retrofitting air conditioning to these properties.

In an ideal world, we would be able to start with a blank sheet of paper allowing the building services engineer to design a combined and fully integrated reverse-cycle heating and cooling system to provide all of the building’s comfort needs – including air filtration – from a single source.

If a heating system is already in place, however, the designer has to take into account the cost and disruption involved in a full replacement as well as the embedded energy penalty of scrapping existing systems.

Yet the long-term running cost benefits of providing highly energy efficient heating and cooling from a single source provide a persuasive case for a replacement. Integrated systems are also an approach encouraged by Part L, which seeks to reduce the overall carbon impact of a building during its full operating life. Part L is now applicable in most significant refurbishment projects – not just new build.

Heat pumps with other renewables

Combining reverse cycle heating and cooling with a renewable energy source, such as photovoltaics (PV) to provide the primary energy or a ground source heat pump for the heating water, makes the case for heat pumps even more persuasive.

The growing application of reverse cycle systems presents a number of challenges to design engineers and installers. To ensure the systems perform at their optimum and, therefore, deliver the best energy performance for the building in question, design engineers must ensure they have access to accurate heating and cooling load information.

Detailed analysis should be carried out and the necessary output expressed in kilowatts, rather than horsepower, to ensure the system delivers the actual performance required to meet peak and off-peak demand. Under or over-sizing systems can have a catastrophic impact on energy performance.

The expertise of the whole air conditioning industry, including manufacturers and installers, will come under increasing scrutiny in the coming months and years. The pressure is growing on us to deliver the required quality of solutions to help building owners meet their legislative obligations, reduce their energy bills and keep their buildings comfortable. Heat pump air conditioning ticks all of these boxes.

The current short-term outlook for the building services market as a whole might be rather gloomy, but there is every chance that this particular technology sector will survive better than most.

Vaillant 01634 292310