FEATURES 17
“ The environmentally friendly aspect of heat pumps boils down to reduced electricity usage. Bearing in mind that most electricity now comes from burning coal, using heat pumps lowers greenhouse gas emissions, reduces carbon emissions and takes pressure off the national grid.”
Training A plumber must be qualified under the relevant QCTO heat pump course, of which IOPSA played a main role in drafting. All certified training providers offer such training. Failure to be qualified simply means that one cannot install heat pumps, and attempting to do so is an illegal act.
The heat pumps are categorised and described as follows: Residential, Commercial and Industrial.
Residential heat pumps These are ideal for homes and small buildings, especially as replacements or supplement / work alongside new and / or existing approved fixed electric storage. Residential / domestic values found in the scope of SANS 1352 1 Scope 1.1 This standard covers requirements for the safe and correct installation of new and replacement of domestic air source water heating heat pump systems complete with all the relevant and applicable safety and hydraulic control units.
1.2 It also covers the maintenance and repair( excluding repair to heat pump unit) of the domestic air source water heating heat pump system.
1.3 It covers integral domestic air source water heating heat pump units that fall within the scope of SANS 151 up to 500l for operation on AC supplies at voltage not exceeding 250V singlephase and 400V for other appliances but excludes solar water heaters and the solar part of dual-purpose heaters or heat pumps with augmented solar water heating. 1.4 It does not cover the sizing or hydraulic system of the design. NOTE: for information on sizing and design, see SANS 10252-1. 1.5 It covers the safe, correct and appropriate method of interconnecting domestic air source split( remote) water heating heat pump system into a new and / or existing approved fixed electric storage water heating systems. NOTE: commonly referred to as a retrofit. 1.6 It also covers the appropriate methods of the domestic heat pump heating system installation to provide the optimal energy efficiency of the heating system. Commercial These are units designed for multi-storey dwellings like complexes, student accommodation, schools, gyms and workout-centre type environments. Typical heating provided in this category is 2000l hot water tanks up to 5000l.
Industrial This is for large buildings like hotels, hostels and large-scale factories and production plants that require hot water supplies larger than 5000l.
Supplied by IHP
Without a doubt, heat pumps will soon dominate the South African market.
The range of models currently available are: 100, 200, 300, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10 000 litres. Furthermore, there are hybrid systems, combining heat pumps with solar or high-efficiency back-up options. What are the benefits of using heat pumps?
November 2025 Volume 31 I Number 09 www. plumbingafrica. co. za