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Bad experiences endanger
industry growth
Negative issues prevailing within the heat pump industry look certain to be
detrimental to the growth of this sound technology, argues Bob Long, heat pump
specialist
G
oing about my daily business, I
have had many meetings with
large installers of renewable energy
systems. At one such meeting, where I was
hoping to fuel enthusiasm for a district
heating system, I was told: “Our local housing
association will not entertain heat pump
technology as valid option.”
Further investigation indicates that this
opinion is not isolated, having been influenced
by reports of poor operational economics over
a number of sites and, not least, the often-
negative content of online heat pump forums.
Quantification of performance is not
easy, as very few heat pumps actually display
their operating-economics in a manner that is
meaningful to the user, which means that any
criticism of this technology is usually based
upon perception rather than fact.
I have banged the drum on the merits
of heat metering on many occasions in my
column, but the importance of accurate
monitoring cannot be over emphasised.
Generally, heat pump systems have no
easy-to-read visual indication to display their
operational economics, and the adverse effect
of system faults, component mismatches or
other defects, can remain without diagnosis
for long periods of time, causing costly
negative impact for the bill payer.
Repeatedly, I find a number of prominent
factors contributing to consumer complaints
regarding heat pump installations:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Over enthusiastic sales force overstating
the economics of operation
Heat pump system efficiencies adversely
affected by bivalent energy
Heat pump undersized for the application
Insufficient water flow rate
The effect of bad news travelling fast
puts growth of this industry under constant
pressure.
The bad news influence is particularly
evident in a number of housing associations
where heat pumps have failed to deliver the
anticipated economic goals. Adverse results
are often made more visible by tenants
who are on a low income and thus, more
vulnerable to unexpected high heating bills.
Before this valuable technology is
completely discredited, we need to create
remedies quickly. If problems of this nature
are unaddressed, I fear the market, and
perhaps even the UK government, will
abandon support for this useful technology.
In the UK we have the availability
of natural gas at very attractive prices,
and the network of supply is significantly
more comprehensive than our European
neighbours.
Because of this, heat pumps operating in
UK, are tasked with meeting more stringent
economic goals, created by our superior gas
supply network and reinforced by keen prices.
Heating requirements vary significantly
with lifestyle and the limitations of heat pump
technology should be understood before
installing a heat pump.
For off-gas districts a well-balanced heat
pump installation generally represents good
value for money, and further enhanced by the
RHI payment, although operational limitations
must be understood.
There are many more factors to consider,
over and above the points I have raised here
and the principles of low carbon energy
delivery through heat pump technology are
completely sound.
In our evolving world of renewable
energy, the common denominator is of course
electricity, as evident from the output of wind,
solar, hydro and tidal.
A heat pump represents the most
economical of technologies available in
converting electrical energy into thermal
energy, and represents the only renewable
energy source available completely on
demand.
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