At the Daikin-sponsored event, a group of supply chain experts answered questions from the audience about building trust in heat pumps and promoting the value of hybrid systems.
Excluding hybrid heating solutions from the government’s boiler retrofit program could undermine the UK’s decarbonisation efforts. This was one of the questions posed by Ian Bevan, Daikin UK’s Commercial Director for Renewable Heat, during H&V News’ first online ‘Heat Pump Question Time’ event this week.
Daikin UK sponsored an event that brought together experts from across the HVACR supply chain to discuss how the industry can meet the national target to significantly increase the use of heat pumps as an alternative to gas boilers. The panel also asked the audience about the complexities involved in large-scale installation of heat pumps and the potential changes that would be required in the industry that designs and maintains these technologies.
Given some of the challenges associated with scaling up the use of heat pumps to reach the goal of installing 600,000 systems per year from 2028, hybrid systems are being considered as a possible approach to gradually transition to low-carbon systems.
Mr Bevan said there was huge potential to use a range of different systems, including air and ground source heat pumps, to meet the heating needs of people living in existing homes in the UK.
He also added that there is a strong case for using hybrid systems, which combine the function of a heat pump with some form of oil, gas or other energy-fueled boiler, as a way to prepare buildings for a low-carbon transition. It means hot.
Hybrid systems are not currently allowed under the boiler retrofit program launched earlier this year. The incentives offer £5,000 and £6,000 to certified installers supplying air and ground source heat pumps respectively.
Mr. Bevan said he thought it would be a mistake not to offer some form of funding for the introduction of hybrid heat pumps.
“One of the biggest challenges the UK will face is market modernization. Our houses are relatively poorly insulated,” he said.
Mr. Bevan also noted that there are millions of combi boilers in the existing housing stock. This currently presents a significant upfront cost problem for replacing vital heat system components such as piping to directly and efficiently install a high efficiency heat pump system. Some homeowners may also need to consider whether they need to add water tanks to the property in certain situations.
Encouraging the use of hybrid systems could allow some of these features to be incorporated into heat pumps that can be complemented by higher temperature systems without relying entirely on natural gas, Mr. Bevan said.
He said, “You can install a hybrid heat pump on top of an existing combo, and I think the boiler retrofit program is telling consumers, ‘Come and join this low-carbon transition,’ but by the way, you only have one choice. You either tear down your boiler and install a heat pump and factor in the upfront costs, or you stay with the boiler.”
Thus, hybrids could be used as a transitional system that could start to reduce the number of off-grid gas boilers used in millions of homes, Bevin said.
He said: “There is scope for a hybrid system to reduce some carbon – not as much as a full heat pump – but you can equally reduce carbon emissions and educate consumers about what it’s like to live with a heat pump, albeit in combination. from your boiler. , a portion of the initial cost of preparing a facility for a heat pump installation can be spread over the lifetime of the hybrid system.”
The Challenge of Time campaign explores examples where direct-fired pumps are considered large scale. Developer Hayfield Homes has chosen the exclusive use of air source heat pumps to build 63 homes in Oxfordshire. The company concluded that this technology was selected for the Stanton-Harcourt project. This is due to the fact that the site is not connected to the natural gas network. The ongoing uncertainty about the cost of solutions such as LPG is also considered unacceptable to residents.
As a result, air source heat pumps have come into use, although there are some problems with the skills to install the system efficiently.
Graham Fox, CTO of the industry organization BESA, also spoke at the event and was asked how best to increase the confidence of end users and installers in the efficiency of heat pumps and to justify their increased use.
Mr. Fox said it was critical to continue to develop case studies and showcase real-life examples of successful heat pumps in various types of projects around the country.
He also expressed concern that major newspapers talk disproportionately about poorly installed systems, and manufacturers and designers pay as much attention to good installations when systems are installed correctly. This is despite the fact that Mr. Fox provided a number of newspapers with evidence and examples of projects already using this system and providing highly efficient low-carbon heat.
Mr Fox added: “I don’t really know how to fix this. I have already spoken to the government about advertising. They are going to spend millions of dollars advertising what they want to advertise. Why don’t they do it?”
“Why don’t we see government-funded television ads explaining the benefits of heat pumps? It’s something that affects homeowners.”
In addition to being promoted through official channels, during the event, installers were named key supporters of heat pumps.
Paul Harmer, chief technical consultant for the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineers (CIPHE), told the group that there is an urgent need to give installers confidence that they can identify, install and market heat pumps as an effective solution.
He said, “It will take time. But I don’t think we can avoid pain. We’re not saying heat pump technology is groundbreaking – it’s been around for years – but we’re in the early stages of implementation. There is a good exchange of information between them.”
According to Mr. Harmer, this will allow end users to share good feedback about the installation. He also noted that continuous education of the public and installers will be of great importance.
Therefore, CIPHE is committed to working with installers, training them to install low carbon heating systems and gaining access to these systems at a time when consumers are facing high upfront costs. He said this would require raising awareness of the potential of heat pumps, which, if properly installed, can provide a range of long-term operational, cost and environmental benefits.
“We need to teach installers not only how to install heat pumps, but the benefits of doing so. They need to be supporters,” said Mr. Harmer.
Hamid Salimi, Product and Renewable Energy Specialist at Daikin, also spoke at the event about some of the work the company is doing to try and offer installers a more streamlined product.
This is facilitated by the Daikin European Research Center, which has opened and is studying feedback from the company’s end users to meet the needs of specific countries in various markets for heat pumps. This helps inform product launches to better meet the needs of tiny homes being built in the UK.
Mr. Salimi said it was important to ensure that the industry as a whole was aware of the different types of heat pumps available on the market, whether air sourced or ground sourced.
Each of these systems has its own advantages and disadvantages depending on the type of application in which they are used.
Mr Salimi said: “It depends on what kind of heat pump the project needs. But the main idea is the need for simplicity. I think the industry needs more simplicity and if installers want to move from a boiler to a heat pump, they need to too.” .Simplicity and consistency.
Daikin itself decided to launch the R32 with a “true monocoque”. Mr. Salimi said the launch was aimed at responding to requests from installers and end users for a simpler system that could be installed as a single outdoor unit, as well as eliminating heat pump noise.
Tagged: BESA Boiler Retrofit Scheme (BUS) CIPHE Daikin Daikin UK Hamid Salimi Heat Pumps Heat Pumps Question Time 2022 Hybrid Heat Ian Bevan Paul Harmer