LG has developed an air source heat pump capable of heating 200 to 270 liters of domestic water. It uses R134a as a refrigerant and has a high pump efficiency (COP) of 3.85.
South Korean company LG Electronics has launched a new line of residential hot water heat pumps. They can be installed in the garage, kitchen, laundry or bathroom.
Therma V is available in two versions for heating 200 liters or 270 liters of water. The 200 liter model has an efficiency of 3.30 at 7°C and 3.50 at 15°C, while the 270 liter model has an efficiency of 3.45 at 7°C and 3.85 at 15°C.
The electric heat pump has a power input of 2 kW at 230 V. The 200 liter model has an annual energy consumption of 756 kWh at 7°C and 709 kWh at 15°C. The larger model consumes 712 kWh/year at 7°C and 646 kWh/year at 15°C.
According to LG’s product website, air source heat pumps use 75 percent of the energy in the air and only 25 percent of the electricity to heat water. It is equipped with two LG inverter compressors that work with two rotors.
“Because the twin rotors balance each other out when spinning at high speeds, this significantly reduces noise levels compared to wobbly single rotor compressors,” LG claims in the product data sheet. The noise level produced by the heat pump is 53 dBA, which is equivalent to the noise of a refrigerator.
The Therma V 200L measures 580mm x 1625mm x 582mm and weighs 100kg. The 270L model measures 580mm x 2008mm x 582mm and weighs 119kg. They can operate at temperatures ranging from -5 to 48 degrees Celsius. These units use R134a refrigerant with a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 1430.
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Yes, I believe the 134a has been discontinued in the US. Using an outdated refrigerant is really weird. I also feel that the math here is wrong. Looks like an annual plum.
? ? ? GWP, as I understand it, refers to the greenhouse effect. But what’s wrong with this LG product replacing your regular electric submersible water tank and using less electricity than the unit it replaces? The fact that it uses less electricity means it emits less CO2, no matter how electricity is produced: coal, oil, gas, wind, solar, nuclear, etc.
Yes, using outdated refrigerants is weird. They don’t seem to want to sell the first generation to North America and Europe, which is too bad because I was just in the market.