As organisations set out to make early gains towards net zero, Chris Caton, Product Director – Commercial, at Ideal Heating, explores how the deployment of heat pump technology can help drive low carbon transition in the UK.
With the UK’s net zero target of 2050 edging closer, organisations are looking to build momentum on their plans to decarbonise their energy use.
Heating and hot water in buildings are responsible for a fifth (21%) of total carbon emissions in the UK. It’s clear then that an increased adoption of low carbon heating systems, such as heat pumps, in non-domestic properties will be significant step towards decarbonisation and improved energy efficiency – as well as helping organisations future-proof and hedge against volatile energy prices.
However, the successful uptake of heat pump technology depends on a number of factors, including the availability of funding and incentives, government policy, and the right education for heating engineers and installers.
The science of heat pumps
Heat pumps work by using a refrigeration cycle to transfer heat from the air or ground outside a building to the inside, where it is used for heating and hot water. They use a small amount of electricity to power the transfer of heat from the environment to the building, and as a result emit significantly less CO2 compared to traditional systems. When heat pumps are partnered with a renewable electricity supplier, heat generation could be up to 100% carbon neutral.
Since heat is transferred rather than generated, heat pumps can operate up to four times more efficiently than traditional methods, and have the potential to produce four units of heat for every one unit of electricity that they use.
When fitted in non-domestic buildings, this can lead to a 65-70% reduction in carbon emissions, compared to traditional gas boilers or direct electric appliances, although the exact reduction depends on factors including the efficiency of the heat pump, size and fabric of the building and system design.
Regulation and training driving change
Regulation changes are pushing the UK towards more energy efficient technology like heat pumps, helping to drive decarbonisation.
For example, changes to Part L Building Regulations require new buildings and renovations to meet higher building fabric standards, with the ambition to achieve a decrease of 27% CO2 on average and, where possible, also set minimum energy efficiency standards. It also paves the way for the Future Buildings Standard that is set to come into effect in 2025 and will require all new buildings to have low carbon heating technology installed.
The introduction of new regulations also means that up-to-date training for heating engineers is vital, so they are aware of the latest regulations and able to install, maintain and repair low-carbon heating technologies to ensure businesses are compliant.
At Ideal Heating, we have opened a £2 million facility near Hull, located at the head of the historic Humber bridge dedicated to training engineers on heat pumps. This further demonstrates how we are playing our part in upskilling the industry.
Money to invest and money to save
Regulation can be a lever to drive change, while training can facilitate it. But some organisations’ appetite or ability to invest in low carbon heating can represent a barrier, especially when heat pumps capital cost is more than comparable gas boilers. The government’s aim, set out in the Heat & Buildings Strategy, is to have heat pump cost parity with boilers by 2030, but the onus has been placed on industry to achieve that.
In the meantime, there are some Government funding schemes to help offset these costs and make heat pumps more affordable, but when it comes to commercial type heat pump funding is restricted to the public sector, such as Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), which provides government grants to public sector bodies to help fund heat decarbonisation and increase uptake of low-carbon technologies including heat pumps.
Many organisations are also seeing the cost-benefit of investing in low carbon heating in the long term. Energy prices have been volatile over the last year, and heat pumps can partly help in shielding them against these costs. Heat pumps can also help keep costs down thanks to their long lifespans. They also have fewer moving parts than traditional heating systems, further reducing replacement and maintenance costs for businesses.
Furthermore, the Heat and Buildings Strategy sites studies that indicate that more energy efficient properties typically have a higher value – around 5% more – than less efficient ones, which should work as an added incentive for building owners.
Looking ahead
At Ideal Heating, our ECOMOD range of commercial heat pumps have been developed to help businesses with buildings of various sizes decarbonise their heating systems and improve their energy efficiency.
ECOMOD air source heat pumps are available in six outputs and seven models. They come with a minimum A++ Energy related Products (ErP) efficiency rating and high co-efficient of performance (COP) rating of up to 4.85. R32 refrigerant ensures a low global warming potential (GWP). They can be used alone or cascaded to meet the heating requirements of larger buildings.
However, we know that to achieve net zero, a combination of low carbon heating technologies will be needed. That’s why we have designed ECOMOD heat pumps to be installed alongside other Ideal solutions, such as the EVOMAX 2 and the IMAX XTRA 2 commercial condensing boilers, to build a low carbon hybrid heating system. Our commercial condensing boilers are already able to run on up to 20% hydrogen blend and we, along with the industry at large, are working towards developing boilers that are capable of operating on 100% hydrogen fuel (pending a firm government decision in 2026).
As we have seen, it’s not just technology and product that are key though; legislation, government funding, and training are at the centre of change and it is vital that we all push to ensure these aspects are addressed and not side-lined if we want to see UK emissions reduced by 78% on 1990 levels in 2035 (as set out in the law passed in April 2021), achieve net zero by 2050.