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Heat Pumps: The Ultimate Free Heat for the Public Sector
24th October 2007
With the pressure on for the public sector to demonstrate best practice in environmental issues, interest in heat pumps is taking off, writes Chris Davis, head of renewables at Dimplex.
Not only do they tick all the right ‘green’ boxes and gain carbon credits, they provide a source of future proof low cost heating, to make budgets go further. And with government subsidies of up to 35% available, now is the time to take a closer look.
Heat pumps – the technology
Heat pumps are recognised as one of the most efficient forms of space and water heating available today. They can extract up to 75% of the heating energy they produce from the environment, with the only running cost being the electrical energy needed for the compressor. So for every 1kW of energy used, up to 3-4kW of useful heat is provided.
Ground Source Heat Pumps
Ground source heat pumps use collectors buried either horizontally or vertically in the ground to collect heat, and are the most commonly used type of heat pump in the UK. Due to the need for large land areas or access to property for drilling bore holes, these are generally better suited to new build applications.
Air Source Heat Pumps
What’s perhaps of most interest for refurbishment projects are heat pumps which extract heat from the ambient air - commonly known as air-to-water heat pumps or air source heat pumps. With the use of modern refrigerants, these are able to extract useful heat from air at temperatures as low as –20oC. Rarely in the UK do our temperatures drop much below zero, so the efficiency of air-to-water heat pumps in our climate is comparable to that of ground source units, plus they are simpler to install, with no need for ground collectors.
An Affordable Option for Public Sector
Heat pumps are now very affordable for public sector projects. The second phase of the DTI’s Low Carbon Buildings Programme is now offering grants of 35% of the total cost of ground source heat pump installations in schools and other public sector buildings, as well as local authority and housing association projects.
There is £50 million available over the 18 months of Phase 2’s duration, to be allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis and Dimplex is one of just three appointed ‘framework suppliers’ of ground source heat pumps under the scheme, which means that its equipment qualifies for the subsidies towards the total purchase and installation cost.
Future perfect
Looking beyond the immediate government support for heat pumps, they will undoubtedly continue to play a major role in reducing carbon emissions. And new technology is further expanding the horizons for heat pumps as one of the most sustainable forms of heating.
In 2007 Dimplex has launched several new ranges, including high temperature ground source models giving output flow temperatures of up to 70 degrees Celsius and high capacity ground source heat pumps with outputs up to 130kW. These are suitable for installation in larger buildings such as schools, libraries and community centres, with the 21-45kW models proving particularly popular under the LCBP Phase 2 scheme.
By Chris Davis (Dimplex Head of Renewables)
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