Heat Pumps for low energy cost effective heating

Garry Broadbent of ICS Heat Pump Technology explains why Heat Pumps are an important form of renewable energy but more importantly they are a low energy cost effective form of heating.

Heat Pumps, more than just another renewable technology?.

Many companies are embracing the so called renewable revolution but it is no secret that the active installers of renewable low carbon technologies are in the minority.

The choice of renewable products available can succeed in confusing the end user as well as the installer; therefore at what point does the installer choose to enter this supposedly fast growing market.

The answer could be now as this decision may be made for the installer already.

Because put in a very simple way, if your business already provides heating equipment, then you are already involved in the Heat Pump sector.

You are active in the heating market and heat pumps are just another type of heat source.

Yes Heat Pumps are a very important form of renewable energy but more importantly they are a low energy cost effective form of heating for many applications.

An example of a very practical application is the much over looked but very obvious potential within the UK off gas sector comments Garry Broadbent of ICS Heat Pump Technology: "Every year there are around 120,000 residential and commercial high carbon Oil and LPG boilers installed in the UK within the off gas heating market, these boilers are predominantly applied to replace existing equipment".

"Not many of the installers and specifiers involved in these replacement boilers realise that a Heat Pump in comparison to an Oil boiler can achieve very significant running cost savings for the user and make a huge improvement in terms of the reliability and convenience of the fuel supply".

Broadbent continues, "This is a fantastic example of a market that is a core area for the heating installer and one where the renewable benefits of a heat pump make no real difference to the reasons for installing the heat pump".

Yes, it is clear that the heat pump will achieve extremely significant carbon savings, especially in comparison to the oil boiler.

But importantly the cost savings and convenience benefits would be the main reason for the installer to consider a heat pump as an option to a conventional boiler.

Regardless of the clear and obvious benefits associated with this application uptake is low simply because end users do not understand in general that Heat Pumps are available and a real practical cost saving alternative to conventional boilers.

The fact is that this "off the gas grid" market potential of circa 120,000 replacement Oil Boilers (or Heat Pumps?) per year makes the current annual UK sales of Heat Pumps at 14,000 units per year look very low in comparison to the obvious potential of just this one market area.

In reality the uptake of low carbon technology is still at a low level and the companies that are active in this market are definitely in the minority and as a result of this the UK installer base has to stand back and look at the reasons why.

Therefore the message for the installer must be to look closely at the renewable sector and determine if any of the renewable products available match the requirements of their business i.e to enter the renewable market or not ? Predominantly heat pumps are not a "have or have not" option unlike other renewable products, every property needs heating and hot water as a base requirement.

In this respect heat pumps do not sit alongside other renewable products which can be viewed as a renewable low carbon optional addition to a property.

But above all heat pumps require the same type of installation and specification as any other heating products and it can be argued that this is more important to the installer than the renewable credentials.

Therefore is it time for the heating industry to take a fresh look at heat pumps? Potentially yes states Garry Broadbent, "if only for the reasons of energy efficiency and cost reduction, it is extremely clear that the sourcing of fossil fuels will become more challenging and costly as we move forward and available supplies become more difficult to extract and deliver".

As the UK moves into a period where our electricity will be generated at a significantly less carbon intensive level than it is now it is widely accepted that electric heating will become much more the norm as we move forward.

Therefore the industry should now see the way forward and view heat pumps as the most efficient method of providing electric heating.

Yes, the industry must take advantage of any renewable incentives available.

But above all it must importantly be understood that heat pumps give the UK heating industry a perfectly viable and well proven method of providing nothing more complicated than heating and hot water, in fact very similar in all respects to a boiler and equally well proven.

The message appears to be clear; Heat Pumps do not need incentives or grants to make them a very attractive cost effective option to conventional heating systems.

Back to top