Heat Pumps Today - January 2015

P24 THE IMPORTANCE OF AFTERCARE

P26 MITSUBISHI – KEEP THE RHI-NOS’ HAPPY

HEAT PUMPS TODAY IS NOW ENERGY CPD APPROVED READING

ESSENTIAL INFORMATION FOR INSTALLERS

JANUARY 2015

HEAT IN THE HIMALAYAS NEW! KENSA COLUMN

P13

HEAT PUMP AND SINGLE PHASE POWER

MARKET NEWS

P20

OFTEC MOVES INTO RENEWABLES

PUMP HOUSE

P22

ASHP CONDENSATE REMOVAL

www.heatpumps.today

01 Front Cover.indd 3

19/12/2014 10:32

7 YEAR WARRANTY WHEN INSTALLED

BY A PANASONIC PRO PARTNER

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For more details, visit: www.aircon.panasonic.co.uk p02_hpt_jan15.indd 1

16/12/2014 13:06:22

EDITOR’S LETTER PUBLISHER Juliet Loiselle Tel: 01778 391067 julietl@warnersgroup.co.uk

MANAGING EDITOR Will Hawkins Tel: 01778 392094 willh@warnersgroup.co.uk

EDITORIAL CO-ORDINATOR Diane Gilbertson Tel: 01778 391177 dianeg@warnersgroup.co.uk

EDITORIAL DESIGN Dean Cole

ADVERTISING DESIGN

A TALE OF TWO MARKETS The market for heat pumps in the UK is about 20,000 installations a year.

The market for gas boilers is about 1.5 million installations a year. The price of heating oil has dropped by about 20% compared to this time in 2013 making it substantially less painful for homeowners with oil fired heating to top up their tanks. Heat pumps have yet to make a big impact on the domestic heating market. Forecasts suggest that the UK will see around 50,000 heat pumps installed a year by 2017.

The reality is that most homeowners in the UK where a heat pump could be a suitable renewable heating solution do not have the upfront funds available to install a heat pump as part

of an energy efficiency solution for their houses. Green Deal funding is expensive and cumbersome to apply for.

That said, there is interest ‘out there’ in the market for heat pumps.

But, it appears to coming from homeowners who are, let us face it, are wealthy enough to be able to fund a heat pump before they can claim the Renewable Heat Incentive (if they bother with it at all).

But, this is the same with all new markets. Do you remember when mobile phones first came out? They were an item only afforded by ‘yuppies’ in London at the time. Now, everyone has one. Heat pumps will have their moment. It is just case of when that moment comes.

Development Design

ADVERTISING SALES

MULTIMEDIA SALES REPRESENTATIVE James Knight Tel: 01778 395029 jamesk@warnersgroup.co.uk

Will Hawkins, Editor | willh@warnersgroup.co.uk

Visit us @ www.heatpumps.today

CONTENTS

Shelley Bright Tel: 01778 391172 shelleyb@warnersgroup.co.uk

PRODUCTION Sue Ward Tel: 01778 392405 production@warnersgroup.co.uk

REGULARS

PRODUCTS & AWARDS ORGANISER

PUBLISHED BY: Warners Group Publications Plc The Maltings, West Street, Bourne, Lincs, PE10 9PH Tel 01778 391000 Fax 01778 394748 www.warnersgroup.co.uk © Copyright 2014 Printed by: Warners Midlands Plc This publication is printed by Warners 01778 395111

04 08 09 10 13 29 30 31

14

News HPA Update SIRACH Update GSHPA Update NEW Kensa Column - Heat Pumps and Single Phase Electricity Changing Faces Classifieds Hot Shots

FEATURES

Katrina Browning Tel: 01778 395022 katrinab@warnersgroup.co.uk

GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMPS 12 14

MARKET TRENDS 18

03 03 Contents.indd 3

Overcoming the Human Barriers to Heat Pumps – Delta EE

MARKET NEWS 20

OFTEC Moves into Renewables

BEST PRACTICE 22

ASHP Installation Best Practice: Condensate Pump House

INSTALLATIONS 24 26

Heat Pumps Today is published bi-monthly.

The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Publishers. Every care is taken to ensure that the contents of the magazine is accurate but we assume no responsibility for any effect from errors or omissions.

Communal Ground Source System Proves Hot Stuff - Dimplex India’s First Geothermal Space Heating System

27 28

Maintaining High Standards – The Importance of Aftercare – NIBE Heat Pumps Keep the ‘RHI-nos’ Happy – on location with Mitsubishi Electric Plas Newyyd Marine Heat Pump A Closer Look with Rehau A Colourful Solution - Hybrid Heating Systems

JANUARY 2015

19/12/2014 16:14

NEWS PLUMB CENTER TO PROVIDE PRACTICAL INSTALLER ADVICE AT ECOBUILD

SURVEY REVEALS LARGE HEATING COST CONCERNS AMONG HOMEOWNERS

Plumb Center has announced its plans to help installers visiting Ecobuild in the New Year who need practical advice on how they can enter the renewable heating market.

The company will be running its ‘Practical Installer’ session where installers can ask experts for business advice on how to move into the market or develop their existing business. The experts will provide individual ‘business clinics’ and demonstrations to help interested installers make informed decision, as well as seeing how Plumb Center can help them from supplying leads to the final installation stage.

Furthermore, visitors will see products in action from some of the major manufacturers including Mitsubishi Electric, Dimplex, Grant, Honeywell, Fernox, Wilo and Heatrae Sadia.

Head of Sustainability at Plumb Center, Tim Pollard said: “We are fully committed to helping gas and oil installers’ transition from fossil fuel technologies to renewables, and supporting those who are already MCS accredited, every step of the way.

Practical Installer 2015 will focus on providing the information installers need throughout their renewables journey.”

Ecobuild takes place between 3rd and 5th March 2015 at ExCel in London.

The rising cost of home heating and energy bills this winter concern 89% of British homeowners, according to a recent survey by heat pump manufacturer Daikin UK. The worrying cost of keeping their houses warm is pushing homeowners to turn to traditional methods of keeping warm this winter. Daikin’s survey shows that 61% of the 1,000 people surveyed are looking to put on a coat, fleece or thick jumper while inside to keep warm. Nearly a third said they were planning to go to bed earlier in order save money on their energy bills.

Energy bills are worrying homeowners more than the cost of Christmas, mortgage payments or the cost of running their car. Three quarters of the respondents said fuel bills are their biggest concern.

Worrying about fuel bills is not exclusive to the elderly either. The survey revealed that 20% of 25 to 34 year olds and 17% of 35 to 44 years olds state they are “extremely” worried about their energy bills.

“Practical Installer 2015 will focus on providing the information installers need throughout their renewables journey.”

RENEWABLE ALTERNATIVES AWARENESS On the bright side for the heat pump industry, over sixty percent of homeowners say they are aware of the renewable energy sources which could provide heat for their homes. But, far fewer have ‘direct experience’ with the alternative heating technologies, namely 17%.

In addition, only 35% of those surveyed by Daikin are aware of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), the government scheme which helps them to pay for a heat pump, for example, to provide space heating and hot water.

Daikin UK’s Product Manager for Domestic Heating, Nancy Jonsson, said: “It’s alarming to see the scale of concern amongst Britain’s 18 million homeowners over the cost of heating their homes this winter. It’s great people are taking practical action to reduce their use of their central heating and keep costs down, but this shouldn’t be necessary when alternatives means of heating without a reliance on expensive fossil fuels are available and affordable.

“The research does highlight a positive level of awareness of alternative heating technologies that make use of renewable resources such as air or solar energy, but also a chronic lack of direct experience and of the financial support available to make the transition. Frightening fuel bills are not going to go away so homeowners are urged to consider a longer term solution.”

GAS ‘BOILER ONLY’ MARKET TO SHRINK BY 22% BY 2025

Julia Bradbury opens Practical Installer stand in 2014

04 04-05 News.indd 4

Delta-EE, the decentralised energy market consultancy expert, is forecasting that the market for gas ‘boiler only’ solutions for space heating will decrease by 22% by 2025.

However, Delta-EE is anticipating that the number of low carbon technology units, including ground and air source heat pumps, hybrids and gas heat pumps, will increase to 1.5m unit sales per year in the same

period. The residential heating market data comes from the consultancy’s research covering the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany and France.

Delta-EE also anticipates that sales of heat pumps in the UK will increase from around 18,000 units a year now to nearly 50,000 units a year by 2017. Nearly 1.5 million gas boilers are sold each year in the UK, which puts some perspective on the domestic heat pump market here.

JANUARY 2015

17/12/2014 09:24

NEWS TEN TALENTED GRADUATES START AT WOLSELEY Wolseley has taken ten graduates onto their management training programme, the company announced recently.

Faced with over 1,400 applications for the positions, Wolseley, along with Discovery Graduates, shortlisted the applicants through a series of telephone interviews and an assessment day from which they shortlisted 35 hopeful graduates.

The final group was invited to the company’s assessment centres across the UK in the summer.

The assessment day included a series of ‘competency based activities’ run by senior managers and occupational psychologists, as well as presentations about the company from influential employees at Wolseley.

Eight applicants were offered jobs within ‘branch operations’ and two were offered jobs within IT and ‘product sourcing’ at the company’s head office.

“This year, just as in previous years, all of the applicants were of an exceptional standard and were put through an incredibly tough application process to win

Wolseley UK Graduates 2014

places on our Management Training programme,” said Wolseley Program Manager, June Hogan.

Discovery Graduates founder, Jonathan Evans said: “90% of the

graduates we place are still in post after 12 months which substantially bucks the industry trend and is proof that taking the time to get the right people is time, and money, well spent.”

HEAT SHOULD BE A GOVERNMENT POLICY PRIORITY

GREEN DEAL ASSESSMENTS FOR SOCIAL LANDLORDS TO BE DROPPED

The Government is being called upon to make heat a policy priority over the next ten years so that house and building heating methods across the UK are transformed.

The call has come from Carbon Connect, an independent forum focused on encouraging businesses and politicians to implement ‘low carbon transformation underpinned by sustainable energy’.

In their report (Pathways for Heat: Low Carbon Heat for Buildings), Carbon Connect is pressing the Government to speed up the process of implementing energy efficiency and low carbon heating in the nation’s building stock through a range of methods. The methods recommended to bring about the transformation include using heat pumps, biomass and district heating. Key parts of the report highlight the amount of gas used for space heating could drop by 75-95%, and that district heating could increase from 2% of supplied today to 40% by 2050.

Co-chair of Carbon Connect and Shadow Energy Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds MP said: “This report is an important contribution to the debate about the future of heat policy in Britain. If we are to meet our carbon reduction commitments, we need to think about how we use energy and heat our homes. I welcome Carbon Connect’s report and commend the cross-party, evidence-based and constructive approach they’ve taken.”

DECC announced today that social landlords will no longer have to have a Green Deal Assessment carried out in order to apply for the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).

The change in the rules comes into effect from Spring 2015. Social landlords will only have to provide an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) which is less than two yeas old to apply for the incentive.

The government is aiming the new policy at tackling ‘fuel poverty’ which affects nearly 2.3 million households in the UK, according to DECC statistics. Of this group, 365,000 are social housing renters who could benefit from the changes to the rules to help them keep their houses warmer and lower their energy bills.

One immediate benefit for ‘social renters’ to benefiting from the RHI, aside from lower bills and warmer homes, is the potential for them to shift away from paying in advance for fossil fuels, such as heating oil, to paying monthly in arrears on their electricity bills if, for example, they have an air source heat pump installed into their home.

National Housing Federation’s Andrew Burke said, “These changes to the RHI will reduce the unnecessary bureaucracy and costs for Social Landlords applying for RHI but the real benefit will be for their tenants, who will have warmer homes and lower energy bills. Renewable heating makes a big difference by reducing fuel poverty in off-gas grid areas.”

DECC has a calculator available online to help property owners or landlords to understand how much they could gain from the RHI: www.gov.uk/renewable-heatincentive-calculator

“This report is an important contribution to the debate about the future of heat policy in Britain.”

JANUARY 2015

04-05 News.indd 5

05 17/12/2014 09:24

NEWS

SELLS STAKE IN ICE ENERGY

T

he heat pump industry took a blow in October when building products distributor, SIG plc, sold its 50.6% stake in UK renewable energy installer, ICE Energy.

SIG offloaded its stake to Ice Energy’s current management team, Andrew Hillier and Andrew Sheldon, for an ‘initial nominal payment’ of £1 and the possibility for SIG to earn up to £5 million should the installer’s business do well after the sale up to 31 March 2019. The so-called ‘earn-out’ aspect of the deal is likely to be a bid to appease shareholders who have seen the value of their investment in ICE Energy plummet.

Overall, SIG has had to write off £8 million in ICE Energy of which £3.3 million has already been accounted for in their first half results for 2014. £1 million of the write-off is in cash.

Furthermore, SIG has loaned Ice Energy £850,000 to help them with their initial operating costs which has to be repaid within 5 years.

It is a tough market for the heat pump industry, at the moment, let alone for Ice Energy, which is reflected in the highly disappointing impact of the domestic RHI, the government’s flagship energy efficiency incentive, which went live in the Spring. Only 1,755 installations have happened under the domestic RHI since 9 April 2014, according to DECC’s figures in the third quarter of this year. In addition, there were 8,293 retrospective claims for the incentive which had been installed between mid-July 2009 and the start of the domestic RHI.

DIFFICULT MARKET As Simon Lomax, managing director of Kensa Heat Pumps put it: “The market is ridiculously difficult at the moment.

The market is dead. We are installing heat pumps in a number of big projects.

However, customers don’t seem to have

06

STRONG ON BIOMASS

confidence in the RHI. Some think it sounds too good to be true when you tell them that a large part of the upfront investment will be paid off by the government over seven years.”

With the general election looming in May 2015, Lomax thinks this is having an impact on consumer confidence.

“Some customers want to see the outcome of the election before they commit to going through the process of investing in installing a ground source heat pump in their homes. They feel that the next government stop the RHI which would leave them stranded.”

Much of the RHI money is being used for biomass projects (44% so far since April 2014). Simon Lomax believes that the strong emphasis on generous tariffs in the RHI for biomass installations has swayed the market away from installing heat pumps.

Lomax stated, “The relationship between industry and DECC is strained, at the moment. Their policy does not seem to be delivering on their strategy.

There was an emphasis originally on heat pumps in the RHI, but the focus has shifted onto biomass.”

“There was an emphasis originally on heat pumps in the RHI, but the focus has shifted onto biomass.”

NOT ALL DOOM AND GLOOM Other parts of the market take a different view. Phil Hurley, managing director of NIBE, based in Chesterfield was more upbeat about the heat pump market now.

“We have seen a 30% increase on our sales since this time last year. A big area of the market which is down in the heat pump industry is the social housing sector. The volume of installations has gone down which impacts the market overall.”

Hurley concurs with Lomax on the lack of confidence still in the RHI. However, Phil Hurley believes that the business will start to come through in the latter part of 2014 as a result of the RHI. “Jobs can take between six and nine months to come through from when you take an enquiry, carry out the necessary surveys, planning and design before

Simon Lomax

an order turns into a sale”, said Phil Hurley. “I will begin to be concerned if we do not see an increase in orders connected with RHI installations by February next year [2015].”

Phil Hurley sees one of the biggest hurdles to overcome for the RHI to be successful is the fact that homeowners have to make an up-front investment in their heat pump solution for their property before they begin to receive government payments some weeks after they have paid the installer.

“Many of the people who would benefit from the domestic RHI are living in rural areas and use fossil fuels to heat their homes.

The problem is that many of these people simply do not have the money available to invest available to fund the installation initially.”

The next few months are going to be testing for the heat pump industry as it monitors the impact of the domestic RHI on its business. The RHI was never going to be a quick fix and ICE Energy’s restructuring may be linked to the market challenges, as much as it could be to the structure of the company. Nevertheless, in the lead up to election next Spring, the last thing the Prime Minister will want to see is a large renewable energy company going bust in his own constituency. ■ Phil Hurley

Table 1: Total domestic RHI installations since 9 April 2014 A

B

C

1

Technology

Installations

% of total

2

Air Source Heat Pumps

540

31%

3

Solar Thermal

344

20%

4

Biomass

778

44%

5

Ground Source Heat Pumps

6

93

5%

1755

100%

JANUARY 2015

06 Ice Energy.indd 6

17/12/2014 10:05

tuesday 03 - tHuRsday 05 maRcH 2015 - excel loNdoN

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pRacTical insTalleR Visit Ecobuild 2015 and get expert advice on how to profit from renewables and energy efficiency Heat PumP aReNa • eNeRgy efficieNcy tHeatRe • Biomass aReNa Take advantage of all the renewable industry experts in one place Register online at ecobuild.co.uk or email renewables@wolseley.co.uk

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Read more about our air source heat pumps at www.nibe.co.uk

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NIBE™ SMO20/40 & NIBE™ HA-WH5-MEGACOIL | INDOOR MODULE • An advanced new generation controller with easy to use controls and colour display • Compatible with NIBE Uplink to connect to the internet for complete control anywhere • HA-WH5-Megacoil available in 5 sizes including solar versions with 25 year guarantee • NIBE F2040 together with SMO 20/40 and HA-WH5-Megacoil gives you a complete solution for heating/cooling and domestic hot water

NIBE Energy Systems Ltd . Tel 0845 095 1200 . www.nibe.co.uk

p07_hpt_jan15.indd 1

16/12/2014 13:38:45

HPA UPDATE

HPA Update January 2015 HPA NEWS IN BRIEF

THE FUTURE IS STILL ERP*: SCOP NOT COP

Ofgem has published the latest quarterly update report on the state of the Domestic RHI scheme covering the first 7 months of the scheme.

This gives some encouragement with a gradual rise in the number of heat pump accreditations, both Ground and Air Source, although legacy applications still account for a large proportion of applications which also results in a higher proportion going to manual review rather than automatically passing.

New Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) standards (MCS 007 & MIS 3005 v4) have been agreed and are likely to be fully adopted in Spring of 2015, to coordinate with changes to the RHI (Renewable Heat Incentive) scheme. These include quality standards for Very High Temperature Heat Pumps (VHTHP), Hot Water (Domestic) only HP’s (HWHP) and Solar Assisted HP’s (SAHP) products and their installation.

Last month we looked at the forthcoming EU requirement to display energy labelling on heat generating equipment, including heat pumps. This labelling will be based on Seasonal Coefficient of Performance (SCoP) rather than a Coefficient of Performance at just one spot set of conditions. As a result, the base criteria for SCoP are still to be determined. BS EN 14825 outlines the main criteria but there is still tremendous scope for variance. For instance: Reference Climate: There are three reference sets of climate data (temperatures and hours at those temperatures): Warm, based on Athens (+2 to 15ºC); Average, based on Strasbourg (-10 to 15ºC); and Cold, based on Helsinki (-22 to 15ºC). The UK has been crudely split by a line stretching from Kent to Merseyside (no more accurate than that!), with ‘Warm’ below and ‘Average’ above the line. Determining the applicable zone can make a difference of 13% in the comparable efficiency of a heat pump.

The bi-valency point - the external condition where the heat pump output at that condition matches the building load required (steady state), and below which auxiliary energy is required, can affect the comparable efficiency by 7% in the UK (comparing ‘Warm’ with ‘Average’ data) . This is because the bi-valent point can be ‘chosen’ – anywhere between -7 & +2ºC for the Average climate.

Heat Pump Flow temperature conditions: labelling will require supply conditions of 35ºC & 55ºC to be displayed. In addition BS EN 14825 also outlines supply conditions at test points of 45ºC & 65ºC.

TRAINING Both DECC and MCS have initiatives to look at the current Training sector. The motivation is to improve standards of design & installation but also to ensure the paths for ‘qualification’ are much clearer. The hope is to make training more modular so that experienced or partially qualified individuals do not have to go through the whole regime just to

top up knowledge, but also to try and avoid the ‘leap frogging’ into courses that are too advanced for some. During training it has often been discovered that course entrants have exaggerated their understanding of simple heating principles and basic mathematics. The HPA are represented and active in all these forums on behalf of the industry and its members.

SO WHAT RELEVANCE DOES THIS HAVE? Comparing Heat Pumps: In terms of climate it makes little difference as SCoP’s for all three climates will be displayed on the unit for purchasers.

MCS: The MCS scheme will adopt threshold performance data based on ErP and SCoP, and should enable selection of the most appropriate zone based across the whole of Britain.

RHI: DECC (Department of Energy & Climate Change) will need to determine how the SCoPnet is to be calculated for RHI eligibility. Since the climate makes

a large difference to the determination of the SCoP, DECC needs to evaluate whether to determine just one climate for the whole of Britain or whether to fix an arbitrary line. The former could either disadvantage those in the South West (if chosen as ‘Cold’) or vastly favour those in the North East (if chosen as ‘Average’).

The HPA are involved in all these discussions, and hopefully policy making with MCS, DECC and the administrators of the ETL (Energy Technology List - forming the list for the Enhanced Capital Allowances tax benefit scheme).

NOTE FOR INSTALLERS *ErP: Energy using Products directive (previously EuP): If, after 26th September 2015, you install a number of Energy consuming Products in combination e.g. a heat pump and solar thermal system, you will need to produce an overall Energy Label for the system combining the technologies installed in combination.

However, how this is to be achieved has yet to be determined so no need for concern yet – just watch this space between now and 26th September 2015.

08

JANUARY 2015

08 HPA Update.indd 8

19/12/2014 16:15

SIRACH

THE NETWORK FOR SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION IN REFRIGERATION AIR CONDITIONING AND HEAT RECOVERY

SIRACH MEETING

T

he SIRACH networking meeting was held on the 22nd October 2014 at the Abbey Pumping station part of Leicester’s Museum of Science and Technology.

The main focus of the SIRACH event was on heating and cooling innovation in commercial applications. The event included a series of presentations, interactive group networking session and a tour of Sainsbury’s environmentally friendly store at Thurmaston which uses some of the very latest technologies available.

Graeme Maidment gave an introduction and a brief presentation about SIRACH, highlighting the key challenges and opportunities of the UK RACHP industry. SIRACH was established by the RAC industry in 2008 with the support of EPSRC funding to address these issues through a selfsustaining network. In 2013 the network was renamed SIRACH when interests were expanded to include heat pump technology, energy storage and end user energy demand. Operating as part of the Institute of Refrigeration it offers opportunities for industry and academic researchers to promote new carbonsaving technologies in refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps.

Heating and Cooling Innovation In Commercial applications

Bob Arthur, of Frigesco and consultancy Bolyn (pictured below) provided a presentation entitled “Supermarket trends, future innovation and changes”. Bob considered the key current and future challenges of the retail sector in meeting the future energy and cooling demand.

Nick Owen, Chief Technology Officer at Dearman Engine Company, gave a specific technology focussed presentation.

The Dearman Engine is a high efficiency expander innovative technology driven by a “tank of cold” which operates by boiling liquid air or nitrogen to produce high pressure gas that can be used to do work.

Dr Adrian Friday of Lancaster University presented on work carried out to understand sustainable food shopping, sustainably minded shoppers and the supermarket.

Dr Alban Leiper, research analyst at Geoscart, presented refrigeration heat recovery and the geoscart alternative.

Geoscart is a ground-coupled thermal energy management system.

Phil Eames of Loughborough University presented on the very topical subject of phase change materials (PCM) and their application.

STUDENT VISIT Amongst the professional attendees, students from South & City College Birmingham studying Air Conditioning and Refrigeration were also in attendance. A number of the students said that the event provided a valuable opportunities to gain insight of how the industry works, provided access to the wide range of expertise and a forum to network with potential employers in the industry. These were aimed at fulfilling the mandate and engaging students to promote apprenticeship and encouraging young engineers and minimise the skills shortage across the industry.

For more information on the presentations and to download the presentations from SIRACH meetings please visit www.sirach.org.uk

SIRACH NETWORKING CAROLE BOND, CARBON DATA RESOURCES. Following on from the series of presentations, the networking session began by focussing on the old, valuable and preserved technologies of the Abbey Pumping Station. Abbey Pumping Station is Leicester’s Museum of Science and Technology, displaying Leicester’s industrial, technological and scientific heritage. Situated adjacent to the National Space Centre, the two attractions tell the story of over 200 years of science and technology from the early days of steam and industry, to space exploration of today.

The initial theme of the session was to go around the museum in pairs looking at the many old engines and in particular, at the four massive Gimson beam engines, which became redundant so many years ago, and discuss the technology and design attributes which made the engines intrinsically valuable enough to be still preserved here today.

TOUR OF SAINSBURY’S The SIRACH event also included a tour around one of the ‘Triple Zero’ Sainsbury’s stores at Leicester. The primary objective of the tour was to explore around the store’s very latest innovative low carbon environmental friendly technologies. Highlights from the tour included the 400kWe electrically lead combined heat and power plant (CHP), which supplies 100% of the store’s electricity and heating demand, the refrigeration plant which featured a natural CO2 transcritical refrigeration system to run the chillers and freezers, and efficient refrigerated display cabinets, reducing the carbon footprint of the store by 33%.

The next SIRACH meeting is scheduled for the 5th February 2015 at Wolseley Sustainable Building Centre, Leamington Spa, a demonstration centre for sustainable building products and construction methods.

For more information on these meetings or to be included on the SIRACH mailing list please contact: www.sirach.org.uk ■

JANUARY 2015

09 SIRACH.indd 9

09 19/12/2014 16:15

GSHPA UPDATE

THOUGHTS FROM THE Ground Source Heat Pump Systems – the obvious heating & cooling solution

A

s winter approaches, many of us have a niggle that the boiler might not get us through and we become more aware that we need to be thinking about the future of our heating system. As your gas boiler gets older it becomes less efficient and waiting for it to break down before making a distress purchase does not always mean we will make the right replacement choices.

Do not wait for your boiler to break down – look now at how you can earn tax free cash from your own Ground Source heating system and make the most of the Government’s Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), available for the first year for domestic properties (also available for non-domestic applications). The RHI is an incentive where the government (Treasury) pay back the customer for installing renewable heat sources. There is a variable tariff as shown on table: Q: If I have a Ground Source Heating Pump (GSHP) do I need a lot of land for the trenching & horizontal collectors to be put in?

A: No. A vertical borehole is much more convenient and generates less mess. The only thing left is a small manhole for each borehole you need, which can be covered over.

Q. Is Ground Source Heat sustainable?

A. Yes, as long as the ground heat exchangers (pipe in the ground) are sized correctly. The earth’s temperature is relatively constant below ground.

From >15m the temperature is stable all year round, increasing by approx.

30C per 100m depth. The temperature in horizontal trenches fluctuates a little more across the year, being cooler in the winter (during the heating season) and warmer in the summer.

Q. How many homes have signed up for RHI? A. Since its launch on 9th April 2014, >15,000 homes have been accepted for the domestic RHI. Figures provided by DECC 28th November 2014.

Q. How long is the RHI running for?

A. The RHI offers a 7-year payment plan (for domestic customers; 20 years for non-domestic which began in November 2011) from the commissioning date of the system, and began on 9th April 2014.

Q. How does a GSHP compare to other RHI technologies?

A. GSHPs are the lowest running cost, lowest carbon system currently available on the market. With an efficiency

(Coefficient of Performance) of between 300-400%, they deliver 3-4 units of heat for every unit of electricity consumed – more if used for cooling too.

Q. I fitted one of these systems 2 years ago, prior to 9th April 2014.

Am I still eligible for RHI? A. If you fitted a RHI system after 15th July 2009 a legacy application can still be made, as long as the product and installation company were MCS registered at the time. Please note that all legacy applications must be received by Ofgem by the deadline of 9th April 2015.

Q. Is the registration paperwork complicated with lots of form filling?

A. It is a 2 x page application of just 8 questions.

Q. How long does registration take?

A. Applications for RHI can be done on-line with immediate acceptance if all of the correct supporting information is provided. OfGEM are the scheme administrators.

Q. How will I know how much I am due back from the Government?

A. Once an application is accepted you are provided with a payment schedule.

Figures provided by DECC 28th November 2014 Type of Energy

Initial Cost

Savings Made

Potential Earning

Earning in pence per KW/hour of renewable heat.

Air Source Heat Pump

£7,000 - £14,000

10% - 35%

£5,460

7.3p

Biomass Fuel has to be sourced from DECC’s Biomass Sustainability List

£11,000 - £23,000

15% - 40%

£14,490

12.2p

Ground Source Heat Pump

£11,000 - £15,000

25% - 40%

£15,750

18.8p

Solar Thermal

£3,000 - £5,000

£60 - £130

£1,530

19.2p

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Q. Will I need a lot of storage to have a GSHP system?

A. No. The Ground Source Heat Pump unit is about the size of a refrigerator with no need for fuel storage.

Q. Can you give me 3 x reasons why would I choose a GSHP system as opposed to another technology?

A. 1) The highest system efficiency – delivering (on average) up to 4 units of heat for every unit of electricity and more if the system is also used for cooling.

2) This technology is unobtrusive, makes very little noise and will keep you warm for less money than any other solution.

3) The ground heat exchanger (pipe in the ground) will last for 100+ years (if correctly installed) and the heat pump unit for 40+ years making it the most cost-effective life-time solution.

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GSHPA UPDATE

“The infrastructure is staying warm… Our family and friends are amazed at the difference it has made to the temperature of our property.”

Q. Are there any government sites that I can get further information from?

A. You can visit sites for The Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC): www.gov.uk/decc; OfGEM, the RHI scheme administrators: www.ofgem.gov. uk/domestic-rhi for domestic properties or http://bit.ly/OSCJPu for nondomestic (commercial) properties.

Q. Are there any grants available?

A. Visit www.gov.uk/warmthiswinter for more details.

Q. Are there any case studies available?

A. Yes. Case studies of RHI approved installations are available on the GSHPA website, as well as the sites of many GSHPA member companies and the DECC website too.

to the whole “ h o T h u e s d e i f i f s e r e s t a g gerin g .” nce it has made

Q. How can I obtain more information?

A. The GSHPA website (www.gshp.org.uk) contains up to date information on the technology, the RHI and includes a full list of member companies.

These include drilling companies such as Dragon Drilling (Water & Energy) Ltd (www.dragondrilling.co.uk or on 01824 707777 for a free, nonobligation information pack or site visit), consultants, installation companies, manufacturers & suppliers.

MAKING THE MOST OF HEAT PUMPS Clare Campbell, Product Marketing Manager at Dimplex, looks at how heat pump installers can make sure they are getting ahead of the competition Know your market: There are around 2.5million homes in the UK heated by oil, LPG and solid fuel and the latest 12kW and 16kW air source heat pumps can provide a cost-effective alternative for these homes.

Be approved: The MCS heat pump installer standard, MIS3005, is designed to ensure the quality and consistency of heat pump installations in the UK and the RHI requires compliance in order for any installation to be eligible.

Work closely with your manufacturer of choice: Make the most of materials and resources on offer from your manufacturer who, after all, is the expert in the technologies you are installing.

Manufacturers can also support with training, system design and marketing materials – and nowhere is this more important that in the area of controls.

Consider other technologies: Heat pumps can be combined with other renewable technologies to deliver substantial cost savings and cut emissions, such as solar thermal technology which can provide as much as 60% of a building’s annual hot water demand. Look out for pre-built packages, which can include everything you need to install a truly integrated heating solution. www.dimplex.co.uk/renewables ■

Clare Campbell

Written by Andrea Ellison of Dragon Drilling (Water & Energy Ltd) on behalf of the GSHPA.

HERE’S WHAT A HAPPY CUSTOMER HAS TO SAY: “In October 2014 we installed an under-floor Ground Source Heating System in our kitchen and dining areas. The difference it has made to the whole house is staggering. The infrastructure is staying warm…

Our family and friends are amazed at the difference it has made to the temperature of our property. The added extras with a GSHP system is that it can be reversed to provide cooling in the summer months.”

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GSHPs

COMMUNAL GROUND SOURCE SYSTEM PROVES Three properties at a renovated farm steading in Perthshire are reaping the rewards of a unique Dimplex communal ground source heat pump system.

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high power 40kW Dimplex ground source heat pump provides heating and hot water for all three properties at Millhills Farm, which includes a retail premises selling country clothing and two houses.

Dimplex’s heating design team worked with installer partners Ecoliving to design the communal ground source heat system, comprising of a Dimplex SIH TE 40kW heat pump with two heat exchangers. The system includes approximately 1,800 metres of ground collectors, laid one metre down and one metre apart, and more than 100 metres of pre-insulated ‘district’ pipework which takes heat from the plant room into each of the properties.

Domestic hot water is provided by high efficiency 200 litre hot water cylinders, specifically designed to work alongside the heat pump, located in each of the two dwellings.

The site was well suited to ground source technology thanks to a number of factors – including the availability of land, climate and existing use of the land which ensured it was easy to manipulate, size and location of the plant room and the fact the farm’s owner already owned earth moving equipment. In addition, all three properties were well insulated with low-temperature underfloor heating installed.

COMMUNAL EFFICIENCY Mark Henderson from Ecoliving said: “It is very rare to have a communal ground source heat pump system but thanks to a unique combination of factors, Ecoliving and Dimplex have

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“After some research it seemed that a heat pump system was the obvious choice and I’m delighted with the communal ground source heat pump system.” been able to deliver an efficient, effective and reliable ground source system feeding three properties.

Installation costs have been kept to a minimum and the land has been returned to its original use. Good design has also helped to maximise the efficiency of the system.

“The biggest challenge was to ensure sufficient insulation of the pipes in order to prevent lost energy between the plant room and the properties.

“Dimplex and Ecoliving’s design included over 100 metres of pipework and pre-insulated pipes were chosen to minimise lost energy and maximise efficiency of the system.

“The result is a high-power, highefficiency system which delivers cost-effective heating when it is needed in all three of the properties.

It is already delivering the results that were expected within a few months of installation and we are expecting the system to achieve a Seasonal Performance Factor of 3.5. It is also eligible for the non-domestic RHI scheme, which guarantees regular income tariffs for the renewable heat generated.”

Guy Rowan-Hamilton, owner of Millhills Farm, said: “I was already familiar with renewable heating technology having installed a biomass straw/log boiler in the main farmhouse property but with added incentives available through the non-domestic RHI and increasing running costs for the inefficient oil boiler system, I was keen to investigate renewable heat again for the trio of properties.

“Despite this, I wanted a system which didn’t rely on tenants to store and replenish fuel, which would have been the case with biomass.

“After some research it seemed that a heat pump system was the obvious choice and I’m delighted with the communal ground source heat pump system.” ■ www.dimplexrenewables.co.uk

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KENSA COLUMN

HEAT PUMPS AND SINGLE PHASE POWER In the first of a new series of articles Guy Cashmore, Technical Director at Kensa Heat Pumps, considers the running of large output heat pumps on single phase electricity

T

he United Kingdom is often called the ‘odd man out’ of Europe for lots of different reasons; a lesser known British ‘eccentricity’ is our typical domestic electricity supply. In nearly all of Europe, three phase electricity is supplied as standard to all but the very smallest of homes, but in the UK three phase power is very rarely supplied as standard, except to the very largest of homes.

Where heat pumps are concerned this means that most of the European manufacturers simply do not make large output single phase units; this is where companies like Kensa Heat Pumps, who manufacture single phase units up to 24kW, have found a niche.

Running large heat pumps on single phase power does present some challenges though: large single phase compressor motors typically have very high inrush (starting) currents that can cause lights to flicker, and other electrical appliances that are sharing the same supply to malfunction. As this could be at a neighbouring property, the network operators have become very fussy about what can and cannot be connected to a domestic supply. To overcome this, two technically quite different approaches exist to solving the issue: The first, which is most commonly used in air source heat pumps, is actually to fit a three phase compressor and additionally fit a converter (known as an inverter) that converts the single phase power to three phase. This approach beautifully solves the starting current issue but unfortunately creates two new issues: one is harmonics (a different type interference) that travel back up the electricity supply cables and can cause other appliances to malfunction; the other is a loss of efficiency. The inverters themselves are less than 100% efficient in the conversion, so some of the electricity used is always being wasted; this is

one of the reasons why air source units are generally less efficient than ground source.

The alternative is to fit a single phase compressor motor combined with an electronic limiter that reduces the inrush current to an acceptable level; typically this will be reduced to about one quarter of the ‘direct on line’ current. Although the starting current will not be as low as when using an inverter, because the electronic limiter is taken out of circuit once the compressor has started. The harmonic and efficiency loss problems do not exist with this type of system.

DOUBLING UP So avoiding inverters is possible and desirable, but it is not the only difficulty with large single phase units in the UK market. Because the global demand for large single phase compressor motors is small, currently the largest commercially produced heat pump compressor gives a maximum heat output of about 12kW to 13kW. This is enough for the average size home but not sufficient for anything larger. With most manufacturers this would mean fitting two separate single phase heat

pumps, although Kensa produces twin compressor machines that provide a lower cost solution.

Using two compressors and two separate refrigerant circuits opens up another possibility: that is to use different refrigerant gases in each circuit. Some gases (like R407C and R410A) give high kW outputs but at the expense of limited maximum temperature to around 55°C, which is fine for space heating but not really high enough for hot water production. Other gases (like R134a) do the opposite, giving high temperatures up to around 65°C, but with reduced kW capacity from the same size compressor.

But by combining the two gases in a twin circuit heat pump, it is possible to produce a single machine that only has a small kW penalty but can produce high temperature hot water when required.

Indeed, Kensa’s Twin Hybrid Compact heat pump does just this.

So with careful system design and product choice, even large properties that have only single phase power can benefit from heat pumps. These dwellings in particular are likely to be currently using expensive oil or LPG, and have the land available for the lowest cost horizontal ground arrays; more about these in future issues! ■ JANUARY 2015

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GSHPs

India’s first large scale ground source installation was unveiled in October 2014.

Sharad Marathe of Efficient Energy Systems Pvt Ltd and Robin Curtis of Geoscience Limited told Heat Pumps Today the story of its development

E

nergy conservation in India is important as a country with a population of 1.25 billion people. Electricity is scarce and the imported oil is expensive.

India’s climate is cool in the north and hot in the south, which indicates that ground source heat pumps could potentially play an important part in India’s energy needs.

To date, however, there are few ground source heat pump installations in India and they remain a novelty on this continent.

SNOW AND AVALANCHE STUDY ESTABLISHMENT(SASE), MANALI The site of the installation is in the Himalayan foothills, just outside the town of Manali in Himachal Pradesh.

Manali is 2,000 metres above sea level, and the area principally a tourist location, its main industry being hotels.

The Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), an arm of the Ministry of Defence in India invited a number of companies

to present their ideas about the use of GSHP’s. The effort was led by DRDO’s Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) with a view to implement a technical demonstration.

After a formal bidding process the contract was awarded to Efficient Energy Systems Pvt. Ltd, who had presented the case for the benefit of alternative heating systems.

The first phase of the project was a Thermal Response Test in December 2012 using a 102 metre borehole to assess the geology.

It revealed that the ground was riverine sediments containing pebbles, sand, and small boulders.

The ground water was 8.9°C with a thermal conductivity value between 5.9 and 6.4 W/mK. We drilled twenty-seven boreholes about 5 metres apart to a total depth of 2,500 metres. Because of the difficult terrain, we decided that it was necessary to case the holes in their entirety.

Instead of sourcing ground loops from abroad, the design team felt it was better to set up a supply chain

Drilling of the boreholes

General view of the site – plant room lower left, borehole field to the right

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GSHPs Water Furnace Envision heat pump in plant room

One of the three manifold pits in India. This would make it easier for the business to cope with increased in the future. We sourced u-tubes, custom made manifolds, header pipes, plant room manifolds and other important items in India.

After pressure testing the U-tubes, the team devised a method to install them into the boreholes to avoid damage.

GROUND ARRAY INTERCONNECTION The next challenge was working out how to provide balanced hydraulic flows through the boreholes and pipes. We achieved this by dividing the borehole field into three sections With the ground loop array and header pipework installed, loops pressure tested and boreholes grouted, the

installation was in place by December 2013. Snow is usual at that time of year but we were lucky that it arrived after the ground works were ready.

The Water Furnace heat pump from the US arrived in early 2014 and work at the site restarted in April on the plant room. The installers coupled the heat pump to the ground loop, which was soon commissioned.

With the heat pump in place in the plant room, the circulating pumps, valves and associated plant room pipework were installed, and the ground and load side circuits were filled with water.

After flushing and purging the system, we injected pure thermal transfer fluid into each borehole.

Once the flush and purge process

had been completed, it was possible to inject the required amount of pure thermal transfer fluid into each individual borehole, and then mix the entire system to the required concentration using the ground loop circulation pump.

HEAT PUMP AND PLANT ROOM The heat pump is an American Water Furnace Envision NKW130 reverse cycle water-to-water unit. This is a twin compressor heat pump using R410A, with the two individual refrigeration circuits feeding a common pair of evaporator and condenser refrigerantto-water plate heat exchangers.

Without any water, the heat pump weighs approximately one tonne, which can present something of a handling challenge on a remote site!

COMMISSIONING It had been agreed with the client that the system would be accepted on the basis of demonstrating that the heat pump could deliver in excess of 100kW of heat. This was to be done by raising a tank of water to the maximum temperature achievable by the heat pump, circa 50°C - 55°C depending on the load side flow rate.

Using the onboard Johnson controller the temperatures were then observed in order to ascertain that the desired flow rates were being achieved.

To demonstrate the energy delivery of the heat pump, an accurate digital thermometer was placed in the load side buffer tank.

The average heating output capacity of the heat pump was shown to be in excess of the 100kW called for in the specification.

CONCLUSIONS While it will take some time for the performance of this 100kW closed loop GHP installation to be fully evaluated, it has already demonstrated that it is perfectly feasible to achieve this kind and scale of installation in India.

In addition, the exercise has shown that Indian manufactures and suppliers can deliver a significant proportion of the material required for these systems. One of the benefits of GHP systems observed elsewhere is that a significant proportion of the cost of these systems can be spent in the local economy, particularly the drilling and the site labour costs. ■

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HERE ARE THE CATEGORIES FOR THE AWARDS: > Installation of the Year Domestic, Air Source > Installation of the Year Domestic, Ground/Water Source > Installation of the year Commercial, Air Source

NATIONAL HEAT PUMP

> Installation of the year Commercial, Ground/Water Source > Product Innovation of the Year - Heat Pumps > Product Innovation of the Year - Ancillary Components

the icc

Broad Street, Birmingham B1 2EA

NHPA DPS_V2.indd 18

> Public Sector Project of the Year > Domestic Installer of the Year > Non-Domestic Installer of the Year > In-Situ Monitoring Award

19/12/2014 12:04

THURSDAY 18th JUNE 2015

ENTRIES ARE NOW OPEN! CLOSING DATE 1st APRIL 2015 The Awards are aimed at highlighting installations and installers of heat pumps, both air source and ground or water source for domestic and commercial sectors.

They highlight product innovations, training excellence and public sector projects too.

Also, individual consultants, installers and champions for heat pumps are recognised and rewarded for their valuable contributions.

Visit: www.national-heat-pump-awards.co.uk Have you got a project, person or product you would like to let people know about?

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MARKET TRENDS

OVERCOMING THE HUMAN BARRIERS TO HEAT PUMPS Dr Lindsay Sugden, Principal Analyst at Delta-ee gives an insight into success stories from Europe

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s I discussed in my article in the November issue (New Heat Pump Concepts Will Catalyse Market Growth), heat pump sales in the UK remain below 20,000 per year. In comparison, the gas boiler market is 1.7 million / year and heat pumps account for less than 1% of the heating market. I also talked about emerging heat pump technology concepts which could change this picture. But it is not technology alone which will help drive the heat pump market. There are additional critical “human” barriers around perception, trust and awareness that must be addressed to build a sustainable market.

“End-user awareness of heat pumps is very low” 18

What does our research with endusers and installers tell us about why heat pumps have not been installed in greater numbers yet?

• End-user awareness of heat pumps is very low • Mistrust of heat pumps still pervades amongst both installers and end-users • Installers are not focusing on heat pumps because there is insufficient “customer pull” • The customer proposition for heat pumps is not easy to sell - installers want to be able to offer more attractive propositions with financing options

THE TOP THREE APPROACHES FROM EUROPE TO OVERCOMING THESE BARRIERS There is a wealth of experience in Europe of how to create successful heat pump markets. We have analysed the market drivers and barriers in these successful markets under our Heat Pump Research Service, and we highlight some of the most innovative approaches we have seen to overcoming these “human” challenges below.

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MARKET TRENDS

Latest research from

Country / key actor

What happened?

What was the effect on the heat pump market?

Implications for the UK?

Germany / Utilities (e.g. RWE)

Utilities have since the late 2000s been key in driving the HP market. Utilities have been instrumental in setting up and professionalising the German HP Association, and raising consumer awareness of HPs in Germany, e.g. running marketing events & information dissemination programmes in association with local government, & offering online information portals where customers can find recommended installers.

Utilities in Germany are trusted brands, and their support for HPs and provision of independent information & advice on HP products and installers, was significant in building customer confidence in HPs. The success of RWE’s information campaigns showed itself strongly when the overall German HP market suffered a decline in 2009-10 during the economic crisis, but in RWE’s core regions, sales were stable and were even growing.

In Germany, a key step was the proactive role of utilities in the HP Association, the information campaigns and the marketing events at a community level. Most of the UK utilities are engaging in heat pumps to some extent – the example of the impact of RWE’s activities in their region of Germany shows how a step-up in UK utility activity in the UK could translate into sales.

Sweden / The heat pump industry association / installers

The Swedish Heat Pump Association (SVEP) set up a “Heat Pump Court” in 1989 where end-users could bring installers to account for making false claims about the potential savings they could achieve with a heat pump. If the end-user won, the installer must fix the problem.

When HPs were an emerging technology in Sweden in the 90s, “the heat pump court was very important, as the trust in the technology was so low – or nonexisting” (SVEP). Today, heat pumps are the technology of choice for single family homes in Sweden.

Lack of trust / perceived risk of HPs (a “new” technology) has repeatedly shown itself as a major challenge in the UK’s emerging HP market (parallels can be drawn to the Swedish market in the 90s).

Giving this ‘insurance’ could be a major boost to consumer confidence in HPs in the UK as it was in Sweden, if the UK HP industry is on-board.

Denmark / government / utilities / independent ESCos

The Danish government has funded a suite of demonstration projects investigating innovative business models which it hopes will unlock market growth in HPs. Projects include a district heating company installing HPs on customer sites and selling the heat under a heat contract, an independent ESCo doing heat contracting with heat pumps, and an energy supplier “leasing” heat pumps.

The projects are on-going. Outcomes so far are positive and it is expected that the demonstration projects will ‘prove the concepts’ so that other energy suppliers / ESCos will roll them out commercially.

These initiatives together with other marketing and information dissemination activities by the Danish government have seen HP sales amongst the fastest growing in Europe last year.

Such business models address two key barriers which are widespread in the UK – the economic proposition for HPs (end-user doesn’t have to ‘own’ the HP), and the perceived risk of the HP not working (a heat contract means the risk is no longer on the end-user, but on the supplier).

Delta-ee research suggests that UK customers are open to financing packages – if these types of propositions are rolled out in the UK they could stimulate a significant uptake in the market.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE UK? The UK is off to a good start, with the Renewable Heat Incentive finally here, and marketing and information campaigns taking the first steps. The government RHI team are running RHI roadshows in late 2014 and into early 2015 to disseminate information on the RHI and how to capture it. UK utilities are all dipping their toes in the water (to varying degrees) engaging in heat pumps.

And the heat pump industry is up for the challenge of bringing heat pumps to the customer.

But our analysis of other markets in Europe shows that a step-change in activity in the UK could have a significant positive impact, and it is clear that this is not the responsibility of government alone. The heat pump industry and utilities (as well as independent energy service companies) can all play a role in

driving growth through information dissemination, marketing, and investigating new finance mechanisms.

Installers, with arguably the most direct relationships with end-users, have a critical role to play in communicating this to build confidence with their customers. Only concerted engagement and action by a wide range of industry stakeholders will ensure that policy incentives translate into growing heat pump sales.

Delta-ee see the momentum building in the UK but if our analysis of other markets tells us anything it is this: it requires consistent government, industry and installer commitment over a decade (not just one or two years) to create successful, sustainable heat pump markets.

To discuss any of the research covered in this article, please contact Lindsay Sugden at lindsay.sugden@delta-ee.com.

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MARKET NEWS

OFTEC, the trade organisation for oil fired heating and cooking installers, announced in September that it is moving into the renewables market.

H

eat Pumps Today editor, Will Hawkins, interviewed its Director General, Jeremy Hawksley, and Communications Manager, Malcolm Farrow.

JH: OFTEC has around 7,800 members on their ‘Competent Person’ scheme. Their customers are often homeowners with properties off the gas grid using oil to heat their homes. The trade body is encouraging its members to register for the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) through them for installing air source heat pumps and solar thermal solutions.

The Competent Person Scheme operates as a separate unit. We have decided it is likely that, in the longer term, in rural people off the gas grid are going to have a whole variety of heating.

And, they won’t just be electricity, LPG, oil or coal, as they are now. And, a lot of those are going to be renewables, we are moving our very well established registration scheme into some of the renewable technologies.

Air source heat pumps and solar thermal are the first ones we have done. And, we are now open for business and we able to register people for those technologies.

WH: What brought around your change of tack?

JH: I think the history of this is slightly convoluted in that we were always very supportive of the principle behind the renewable heat incentive and spent a lot of time and money trying to persuade DECC that we should have what we call a ‘bio-liquid’ available

20

which would be part-biofuel, partkerosene fuel. But, we failed to get that recognised as a renewable technology.

OFTEC recognises the need to decarbonise heating in the off-grid areas. We are very keen to be involved in that. What we now see, with or without the RHI, is that people in rural areas will be looking seriously at renewable heating when they come to renew their old boiler.

Quite a lot of them may actually go for a ‘hybrid option’ where you keep your oil but put in an air source heat pump next to it. The air source heat pump keeps the house warm for, perhaps, three-quarters of the year. And, the oil boiler is there as a back-up. Our technicians need to qualify under MCS to install air source heat pumps. And solar thermal which can be a very useful add on.

But, the interesting thing that we have seen is that gas and electricity prices have just kept on going up. They tend not to come down when delivered through the six big utility companies.

The price of heating oil does follow the price of the crude oil and the exchange rate very accurately. It is one of the reasons why I think people are going to be a bit a cautious about moving onto the 100% air source heat pump solution.

MF: The point about the condition of the rural housing stock as well, and probably a lot of people have moved to a fully renewable system will mean, the need to make significant improvements to the house. That is a major disincentive for people at the moment. I think that is something which the government needs to look at.

WH: With the fluctuating oil price in the market at the moment, is that creating problems, from making homeowners moving into a ‘renewable heat only’ solution?

JH: I think the OFTEC perspective is that we are very sceptical that the ‘renewable only’ solution is appropriate for any off gas homes unless you are going to be able to throw a lot of money at it.

That’s why I use the word ‘wealthier people’. Let’s go back to the question of price, the average price in October for kerosene in the UK was 49.6p per litre.

That was the average. It varied between regions. In February 2013, the average price was 62.8p. So, we have lost 21% of the cost of oil in that period.

WH: But, of course, moving into renewables for an installer is pretty solid investment as well. Do you think that is going to be a challenge to interest your members?

JH: We think it will be. To be honest, the anecdotal evidence that we have is that the installers out there have been very disillusioned with MCS. Many of them did register early but they just have not had any business and that may be partly because of the delayed introduction of the RHI. But, I hope our proposition is a very sensible one, particularly for our people who are already registered with us. We are trying to go into this market with competitive pricing. Our

charge for just one technology, like air source heat pumps, to be registered with MCS is just now £475 per year of which we are giving £110 straight to MCS. I hope that will be attractive to our existing registrants.

WH: Is it purely the registration you are doing? Or, will you be helping them with training and skills as well.

JH: One of our inspectors will inspect their business. Once they are registered with us, we can then offer them up training through our centres.

I hope in time, we will have several hundred, if not several thousand, people qualified to install renewables.

WH: The time it takes to administer an MCS installation is a common complaint from installers. Is that something you hear from your members?

MF: You are absolutely right.

I had an interesting conversation with a member in Cornwall, an installer who does oil and renewables. He echoed what you are saying that the paperwork and bureaucracy involved with completing RHI and the MCS forms

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MARKET NEWS

is a real problem for installers. We share those concerns with it and, now that we are involved with it we can add our voice to cause to try to improve the situation for installers. I think it is a real barrier for getting people into renewables.

JH: Another point, is that we are also offering people to be registered with us as air source heat pump installers without MCS. That is to cater for the wealthy people in country areas who don’t want the RHI but are nevertheless installing air source heat pumps.

We recognise that there is a market there and that will obviously be at a lower fee than we charge for the MCS. WH: The other side of the air source heat pump market has been strongly driven until recently by social housing projects. Is that a field of the market your installers will be moving into?

JH: Some of our installers will be doing social housing work already for oil. For many rural councils this may be an attractive option. However, the majority of our people are doing private work. Not necessarily for rich people but anybody who is on oil.

But one cautionary tale I would put here about social housing associations going into this area is the cost to the consumer of running a 100% air source heat pump system. The only statistics showing how much it actually costs to run a house on different fuels are the Sutherland tables. The figures for October 2014 show an air source heat pump running through radiators costing £1514 a year, and an oil condensing boiler is costing £1146 a year for a three bedroom house. There is quite a differential emerging here.

And, when you are talking about social housing you are talking about people on low incomes. I think we have got to be careful that they are not imposing higher costs on their tenants.

WH: It is a challenging market in the UK. Are your members getting asked quite a lot for renewables from their existing customers?

MF: We have detected a north/south divide. There is more interest coming from the south reflecting the wealth, in reality. Installers are always interested in an opportunity for good business. We would like to see it become easier for

installers to get involved in the RHI. At the moment, it is quite difficult for small businesses to get involved. I expect they are getting some enquiries because there are some savvy customers are interested in what they can do to improve energy efficiency.

JH: The other point I would make is that we have this group of 7,800 technicians. They are the main source of advice for the domestic householder. They visit an oil boiler at least once a year. Oil boilers really do need to be serviced. So, if those people are able to offer these other options, even if they are hybrids, that’s a powerful marketing tool for air source heat pumps.

We do want to get across the message that we are moving into renewables registration. Despite the fact that we don’t know where the market is going, we think that a lot of our members are going to need to have these renewable qualifications.

And, we are keen not only to recruit our own people but to put other people onto our register because a) we are cost competitive and b) we want lots of heating engineers to be in renewables. www.oftec.org ■

WH: Is most of your members’ business primarily domestic?

JH: Most of our people are installing into the domestic market up to 45kW. Quite a lot of them are also doing one-off jobs up to about 100kW, such as churches, church halls, and small rural schools. And again, quite a few those could have a heat pump application which might be interesting to them.

JANUARY 2015

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SHP

3.6

BEST PRACTICE

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AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMP INSTALLATION BEST PRACTICE -

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Paul Greengrass from Pump House Pumps explores how to handle the condensate produced by Air Source Heat Pumps.

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he closer you look at Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP), the more you see their similarities to boilers.

Pump House compared the installation guidance and standards for air source heat pumps and boilers. We looked at the MIS 3005 incorporating the ASHP side and the BS 6798 covering the installation of boilers not exceeding 70kW.

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Both technologies produce condensate, although the composition of the condensate is different. Boiler condensate is acidic with pH levels of between 3.6 and 4.2. The condensate from the outdoor unit on an ASHP is pure water condensing on the cold coil from the surrounding atmosphere.

Pump House has vast experience in the disposal of condensate from air conditioning systems and boilers.

We train and educate installers in how to dispose of condensate too.

Furthermore, we produce guidance document covering the key influencing factors and routing solutions.

Using our knowledge and experience, we compared the technologies. We brought together some installation synergies, but also took account of the differences.

BASIC FACTORS TO CONSIDER: Boilers • Domestic boilers can produce around 2 to 3 litres of condensate per hour • Annual volumes of 600 to 1000 litres per year • Boilers produce condensate inside the building envelope which tends to be between 20°C and 40°C • Boiler condensate is acidic and can only go into the waste water system.

You must neutralise it before it goes straight to ground, into a rain water pipe, or septic tanks.

• The use of a soak away must incorporate lime chipping as a form of neutraliser and to provide void spaces to allow adequate drainage.

ASHP • Units upto 14kW can produce between 10 and 15 litres of condensate per defrost cycle • Annual volumes of 2000 to 3000 litres per year • ASHP produce condensate outside the property and can be between 3°C and 5°C • ASHP condensate is pH neutral and can go into any suitable drain • The use of a soak away is also acceptable. This does not need to incorporate lime chipping, but the material must have some form of void space to allow for adequate drainage

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WHAT THE REGULATIONS SAY: MIS 3005 4.4 Site Specific Issues states: For air source heat pumps, consideration should be given to the removal of condensate water produced during a defrost cycle from the outdoor coil. The installation should make provision to deal with this water transferring it to a suitable drain or soak away thus preventing ice build-up within the unit or its location during extreme winter conditions.

The regulation helps avoid the risk of standing water. This can pool and freeze causing a slip hazard on paths and walk ways around the heat pump.

The boiler standard BS 6798 covers a range of routing options.

The options reflect the differences between ASHP and boilers.

Heat pump condensate has a lower temperature than condensate from a boiler. It is important to have a large diameter pipe (the minimum is 32mm) and as steep a fall on any pipework as possible to avoid the risk of the pipe becoming frozen.

The diagrams on the next page show some specific routing options to assist installers.

Note : When routing into rain water consideration should be given to the provision of an air break between the ASHP and the rain water pipe. This is useful in case of a blockage or over filling of the rain water pipe.

When connecting into a soil pipe, you should consider how to avoid any odour release.

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BEST PRACTICE ❶

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For those super Eco installations, the condensate could also be directed into rainwater harvesting.

The definition of a soakaway and the design and sizing are covered in BRE 365. However, this is not specific enough on the smaller volumes we are looking at from boilers and ASHP’s. It does, however, define the requirement of a geotextile liner. This is designed to eliminate the ingress of the surrounding soil and plant roots into the soakaway.

Installers can refer to boiler installation standard BS 6798 to avoid constant referral to BRE365.

BS 6798 incorporates installation guidance on the soakaway design to cover boilers upto the 70kW rating. The routing option takes into consideration the difference in volumes between boiler and ASHP. The soakaway needs to be slightly larger than that for a boiler.

“Both technologies produce condensate, although the composition of the condensate is different.”

Pump House has designed an ASHP specific soakaway which comes complete with a Geotextile liner and 32mm pipe connector.

To receive a hard or electronic copy of the guidance please call or email for details.

Pump House are a specialist in heat pump mounting, who support installers with installation best practice. sales@pumph.co.uk ■ JANUARY 2015

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MAINTENANCE

MAINTAINING HIGH STANDARDS THE IMPORTANCE OF AFTERCARE When it comes to heat pump installations – as with any renewable technology – ongoing maintenance is central to optimum long-term performance. Phil Hurley, Managing Director at NIBE, explains why proper monitoring and servicing is key, and explores the required steps to ensure best results.

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riven by consistently rising fuel prices, and the promise of long-term payment support under the RHI, heat pumps are becoming increasingly commonplace in both domestic and commercial applications across the UK. As their popularity grows, it is vital not to underestimate the role that ongoing customer support and system maintenance will play in building confidence in this once-unfamiliar technology and helping it fulfil its true capabilities on a national scale.

Phil Hurley

The majority of consumers are used to conventional fossil-fuelled heating systems that are switched on and off whenever needed. With this in mind, the first role for the industry is to make sure new customers are fully aware of how their new renewable heating system works and how to get the best out of it in the years to come. For manufacturers, this means continuing to invest in ongoing product development (including intuitive controls and smart monitoring technology), as well as producing

comprehensive manuals and marketing materials. For installers, it means ensuring the customer is given a full introduction to the system and how to use it, and also that this dialogue continues long after leaving the site.

AFTERCARE AND MAINTENANCE STANDARDS For any heat pump – whether it is an air source, ground source or exhaust air model – proper customer support and system maintenance is just as important as getting it right at the specification, design and installation stages. Keeping in touch with the customer and carrying out annual servicing (as well as being ready to respond in the event of any issues), is the best way to make sure the system is consistently performing in line with its potential and with the customer’s expectations. Upholding the aftercare and maintenance standards outlined in official guidelines is also an essential stipulation of most manufacturers’ warranties – so it pays to stay up-to-date on the right steps to take for optimum results.

THE BENCHMARK CHECKLIST After initial setup (and programming the system according to user requirements) it is vital that installers fill out the heat pump Benchmark checklist. Benchmark is a national quality assurance scheme that helps ensure heat pump installations and servicing are carried out in line with the relevant standards. The checklist provides commissioning instructions and also requires a signature from the

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customer to verify that the installer has provided them with a full overview of the heat pump’s settings and controls. Completion of Benchmark documentation helps guard against problems that can arise because of poor installation or misuse – and at NIBE we have made it a condition of our extended seven-year warranty on certain products (as offered exclusively by NIBE VIP Installers).

CUSTOMER TRAINING It does not matter how high the installation standard – if the customer is unsure of how to use the system properly then it will fail to deliver the results it is capable of. It is the installer’s responsibility to explain how to operate the system and its maintenance requirements. As mentioned above, the Benchmark checklist requires a customer signature to confirm they have been given a full overview; installers should also provide the customer with copies of the heat pump’s manuals and MCS certification for the install (this is necessary to qualify for RHI payments).

YEARLY HEALTH CHECK As well as ensuring the customer knows who to contact in the event of any issues, installers should also visit the property once a year to carry out a heat pump health check and annual servicing. Exact requirements will depend on the manufacturer, heat pump type and model, but this is a chance for the installer to check that individual system components are working as intended, that all settings are correct and to respond to any software alerts.

JANUARY 2015

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MAINTENANCE

‘...helping build confidence in what is largely still an emerging technology, and ensuring heat pumps can achieve their full potential as part of the UK’s low-carbon future.’

For example, during an air source heat pump service, installers should make sure the fan is clear of any obstructions (e.g. leaves), check all pipework and electrical supply connections, clean the filter, assess system pressure and respond to any alarms in the controls log.

SYSTEM MONITORING This is key to ensuring the system is performing as it should – and means that in the unlikely event of a fault, installers can easily identify and fix the problem, and get the system up and running again as soon as possible. Monitoring is a key development area for manufacturers, and thanks to advancements in

controls technology, tools now exist that allow installers to monitor and manage their heat pumps remotely.

For example, all new NIBE heat pumps now come ready for use with Uplink, a tool which lets installers and end users log in to a secure online access area, which shows an exact replica of their heat pump’s control panel. This allows for remote system control via a computer, tablet or smartphone. Uplink can also be used to access useful data (from the heat pump’s current operating status to its full performance history) and for added safety, it flags any alerts as they happen. This means installers can easily access all the heat pumps in their portfolio at the touch of a

button, and it also lets them diagnose issues and provide valuable support and maintenance advice without the need for a home visit.

ONGOING PEACE OF MIND By upholding the right maintenance and support standards long after the job has finished, installers will not only enhance their customers’ peace of mind

and help them get the most of out their system on an individual basis. They will also play a much wider role for the heat pump market as a whole – helping build confidence in what is largely still an emerging technology, and ensuring heat pumps can achieve their full potential as part of the UK’s low-carbon future. www.nibe.co.uk ■ JANUARY 2015

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INSTALLATION

HEAT PUMPS KEEP THE ‘RHI-NOS’ HAPPY

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t is not everyday that you can talk about rhinoceroses and heat pumps in the same sentence, but Mitsubishi Electric has made it possible with the installation of four Ecodan air source heat pumps at Edinburgh Zoo. The heat pumps are used to heat the indoor swimming pool of two male, one-horned Indian rhinoceroses in the Scottish zoo.

The zoo has been looking for ways to reduce the energy needed to heat the swimming pools without impacting the well being of the animals, known as Samir and Bertus.

The heat pumps replaced an old, inefficient gas boiler, the lifespan of which had come to an end, and have, consequently, reduced their energy bill and emissions by nearly one third.

pool, necessitating a 40kW capacity system. The heat pumps ‘tube and tube’ heat exchanger is designed to work with and maintain the lower temperatures that enable the heat pumps to be very efficient.

Furthermore, there is a Grundfos pump between the heat pumps and the heat exchanger which circulates water around the system to make sure the response time of the heat pumps is quick.

MONITORING EFFICIENCY The Ecodan heat pumps have not travelled far from the manufacturer’s factory in Livingston. Mitsubishi Electric also provided training for the Lothian Gas installation team who, in turn, worked closely with Edinburgh Zoo on the project. In-situ monitoring is important to qualify for the RHI, which meant that the design included an SD card to collect energy use data from the system.

Commissioned in November 2014, the heat pumps now successfully provide a heated pool for Samir and Bertus and, judging by their behaviour, they are enjoying their environment.

The rhinos can be seen using various forms of ‘rhino enrichment’, such as large balls, tractor tyres and logs.

Their pool is now kept between 28 and 30 degrees celsius by the heat pumps which enables them to swim and wade throughout the year. ■

ATTRACTIVE RHI-NOS With the heat pumps installed as a cascade, the zoo qualifies for the non-domestic renewable incentive (RHI) which would contribute about £4,000 to the running costs of the 8.5 kW Ecodan’s over twenty years.

The heat pumps deliver renewable heat to the 4m x 4m x 0.5m indoor pool for the rhinos all year round no matter what the outside temperature.

Lothian Gas, from Edinburgh, installed the heat pumps after calculating a 30 kW heat load for the

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JANUARY 2015

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INSTALLATIONS

PLAS NEWYYD MARINE HEAT PUMP -

The pioneering heat pump installation at the National Trust property Plas Newydd on Anglesey, as featured in our June/July issue, uses the warmth from the Menai Strait to heat the 18th century mansion.

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n this issue we focus on the role of the pre-insulated Rehau “Rauthermex” pipework in the installation. The 110mm pipework is providing both the flow and return link between the boiler house and the main house, and was specified on the project because its exceptional thermal insulation ensures that any heat loss at this point in the circuit is minimised.

As we reported previously, a marine source heat pump sited inside a boiler house in the grounds is extracting heat from sea water and raising it to 55ºC before it is distributed to the main house, helping to achieve a consistent internal temperature which is sufficient to conserve both the fabric of the building and its valuable contents.

THE PIPEWORK Rauthermex is insulated with closed cell PU foam giving it a lambda value

of just 0.0216W/mK. The closed cell foam means there is no requirement on site to compensate for thermal expansion of the pipe and the robust LDPE outer jacket around the foam means the pipework can withstand even the most demanding on-site conditions.

It was specified on the project by Kimpton Energy Services, who were main contractor and designer and worked closely with Rob Gwillim, the National Trust’s consultant. Rehau’s technical team provided advice on the design of the pipework layout and support to installers GHJ Civils.

The installation at Plas Newydd is the largest of its kind so far in the UK and featured extensively on BBC News across its broadcast and online platforms. It is one of a number of pilot renewable energy projects being undertaken by the National Trust to assess their viability and ROI. ■ JANUARY 2015

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INSTALLATIONS

A CLASS A SOLUTION In 2013 Hybrid Heating Systems were asked to supply an air source heat pump system that would operate in conjunction with a Nottinghamshire couple’s existing oil boiler and 6 year old Solar Hot Water system (SHW) with Economy 7 element.

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wo years previously, Mr & Mrs Bird had installed Solar Photovoltaic Panels (PV) to extend the renewable energy features of their 1980’s four-bedroom detached property in Nottinghamshire. They had a keen interest in gaining returns from their production of electricity and controlling their energy costs.

Hybrid Heating Systems carried out a detailed assessment of the property to ensure heat loss calculations were as accurate as possible. As the building is quite large (161 m2), these calculations were vital in ensuring that the correct heat pump was specified. Without any further works to existing insulation, a total heat loss of 15kW was calculated. It was clear at the time only a bi-valent system could be specified as there was no “standalone” system powered by a single phase electricity feed

on the market that had the ability to produce 15kW of heating at -3 outside design temperature.

Whilst Mr & Mrs Bird considered the design proposal; Hybrid Heating Systems, as a preferred installation partner, were approached by Dimplex with an invitation to the unveiling of their next generation range of high efficiency, high temperature, high output “standalone” air source heat pump – The A Class system. After attending the unveiling it was evident that a 16kW A Class system had the capacity to deliver all Mr & Mrs Bird’s heating and hot water requirements at the crucial design temperature and would operate with their Solar Hot Water system.

With the support of Dimplex’s system design team, Hybrid Heating Systems presented Mr & Mrs Bird with a redesigned system incorporating the A Class.

After comparing the two systems performance data, costs, payback and the opportunity to “get rid” of oil heating the customers concluded that the best system for them was the A Class.

THE INSTALLATION The most suitable location for the outside heat pump unit was at the front left hand side of the property on a purpose built base in place of their old oil storage tank. The pipe work from the heat pump was routed direct into the property and up into the loft where the new Solar/ASHP DHW cylinder is located.

The installation has enabled the ASHP, PV and SHW systems to be combined in to one to become an integral system. Combining Solar PV panels with an air source heat pump uses the electricity generated by the PV panels to drive the air source heat

28

pump. The SHW system generates a background water temperature in the DHW cylinder which the ASHP can “top up” when required. Estimated combined technologies annual running cost savings will be around 30% compared to heating oil only heating. www.hybridheatingsystems.co.uk

JANUARY 2015

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CHANGING FACES GROWING DEMAND EXPANDS ESTIMATION TEAM AT CLIMATE CENTER AND PIPE CENTER

FLEXENERGY APPOINTS NEW AREA SALES MANAGER FOR SCOTLAND Fife-based pipe specialist Flexenergy has appointed Steven Rankine as Area Sales Manager for Scotland.

Steven has worked in the energy sector for more than four years and will be responsible for introducing customers to Flexenergy’s energy efficient pre-insulated products, ranging from cooling pipes through to pipes for District Heating Schemes and solar thermal projects.

Steven said: “Flexenergy possesses a wide range of innovative and sustainable products which, along with a very good reputation in the industry, makes for an exciting future.”

Sandy Fairley, Flexenergy’s Sales Director, added: “Steven will be playing a key role for Flexenergy as we continue to expand our business. He knows the industry and the territory well and with his keenness and determination, I’m sure he will be very successful in his new role.” www.flexenergy.co.uk

CIPHE APPOINTS NEW TECHNICAL AND EDUCATION MANAGER Bryan Clark has joined the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE) as Technical and Education Manager.

Bryan completed his plumbing apprenticeship at the Army Apprentice College, Chepstow. During his 16-year service he was involved in building military camps and hospitals in an assortment of international locations.

In 2008, Bryan began his career in teaching and his first teaching role was in the College of North East London. Bryan subsequently became a freelance teacher at private training centres, before taking up a post at Prospects College in Basildon, Essex, where he was involved in the college becoming a CIPHE Approved Training Centre.

Bryan is passionate about education and training. His advice is: “Training is only as good as the training provider, so choose wisely…” www.ciphe.org.uk

To cope with strong growth in the number of projects in the pipeline for ACR and heating industry product distributors Climate Center and Pipe Center, the company is expanding its team of estimators in their Leamington Spa office.

The team is now three times bigger with the addition of four new team members who will be providing quotes and technical support for major contracts. Technical Estimating Manager, Wayne Calland-Hewitt, and Technical Support Manager, Martyn Simpson lead the team and have over a quarter of a century of experience between them.

“Together with high quality, reliable technical support, speed of response to project quotation requests is a key service issue in our industry. We are investing in a bigger team to ensure customers receive quick and accurate turnaround in response to enquiries, enabling them to move quickly and secure contracts”, said trading director, Chris Banner.

Much of the company’s demand is coming from London and the SouthEast. Furthermore, the business has set up a new London office where a team, managed by Soulla Paphitis, will run and coordinate projects. www.climatecenter.co.uk www.pipecenter.co.uk

WOLSELEY UK APPOINTS NEW HR DIRECTOR Wolseley UK has appointed Joanne Smith as its new Human Resources Director.

Joanne will take responsibility for the overall strategic leadership of the Human Resources function across Wolseley’s UK businesses.

Joanne has had a wide ranging HR and commercial career and joins Wolseley UK from G4S where she was Human Resources Director for the UK & Ireland. Prior to that Joanne held HR Director roles at Stansted Airport and Heathrow Express, part of BAA. During her career she has held senior HR roles at companies including Inchcape and National Grid.

Steve Ashmore, Managing Director, Wolseley UK commented, “I am delighted to welcome Joanne to Wolseley UK. Her experience and skills will be invaluable in driving our People Plan during the next phase of Wolseley UK’s growth agenda.” www.wolseley.co.uk

THE EAGA TRUST MAKES NEW APPOINTMENT Newcastle-based eaga Trust has recruited accountant, and former Finance Director, Richard Marr to the position of Chief Operating Officer.

Richard, who joins the eaga Trust from Narec, the National Renewable Energy centre at Blyth, brings more than 19 years’ experience to his new role.

He will be responsible for the day to day running of the Trust and driving the ways in which its purposes are expressed and actioned.

Richard commented “During my time at PwC I was very fortunate to work with eaga advising on strategic options in advance of the IPO, so I am delighted to be taking up this role at such an exciting time for the Trust, with membership expanding rapidly and exciting new projects in the pipeline” Further information about the eaga Trust can be obtained via the website www.eagatrust.com

JANUARY 2015

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PRODUCTS

JANUARY

HOT SHOTS An update on new products and new applications.

This guide features the latest product launches and the most recent applications of heat pump technology.

To advertise your product or project in Hot Shots, please contact: Shelley Bright on 01778 391172 or e-mail shelleyb@warnersgroup.co.uk

TAKING THE GUESSWORK OUT OF SPECIFYING HEAT PUMPS - HITACHI HI-TOOLKIT FOR HOME

INSULATION EXPERT MARY CARTHY JOINS ENCON INSULATION

Specifying, commissioning and installing air source heat pumps can be a challenge but Hitachi’s range of innovative Yutaki heat pumps and helpful online tools aim to make the process that much easier for installers.

With the release of a number of new domestic heating products to the market in 2014, Hitachi Air Conditioning Europe SAS has updated its Hi-ToolKit for Home selection software, especially developed for specifying air source heat pumps for residential applications.

Register for the new Hi-ToolKit for Home software to help with product selection and specification of the most economical domestic heating solution for your customer in just a few clicks - generating a bespoke report that can be personalised with your contact details and logo. And the new software is completely FREE for building and heating trade professionals.

To register for Hitachi’s new Hi-ToolKit for Home, visit www.hitachi-hitoolkit.com T: 01628 585 394 E: aircon.enquiries@hitachi-eu.com W: www.hitachiheating.com

Specialist distributor Encon Insulation has boosted its industrial/HVAC division for the second time in as many months.

Just two months after appointing Steve Moorhouse as the new Yorkshire and North West Business Development Manager, the company has recruited Mary Carthy as Industrial Manager for the West Midlands, working out of Encon’s Birmingham branch.

Mary brings a total of 27 years expertise in the insulation sector to her Encon role, starting with Kitsons Insulation as a stock controller before becoming office manager.

She was then approached to start up an independent business in Birmingham, MC Insulations, and built that up over the next 12 years to merge with four other independents to become GRM. She said: “I am sure with the experience I have gained and the continuing loyalty of my customers we can help to make Encon Birmingham an even more serious contender in the industrial market place.”

E: indo@encon.co.uk W: www.encon.co.uk

CARRIER’S NEWEST AQUASNAP® CHILLER, WITH GREENSPEED® INTELLIGENCE

AEROPUR®: ELCO’S NEW MCS-ACCREDITED AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMP

Carrier has added a new dimension to its AquaSnap® line of chillers by introducing the 30RBP with Greenspeed® intelligence, which enables higher efficiency and optimised performance.

The new AquaSnap with Greenspeed intelligence features enhanced scroll compressors designed for better full-load efficiency at the operating point of an air-cooled chiller.

In addition, the AquaSnap with Greenspeed intelligence uses high-efficiency variablespeed condenser fans, providing an ideal fan-operating sequence for optimal air flow across the condenser, which supports higher efficiency when running at part-load conditions. The 30RBP reaches a European Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (ESEER) of up to 4.3.

The AquaSnap with Greenspeed intelligence also uses new software designed to optimise usage of compressors, fans and circuits. The new software constantly calculates the most efficient fan speed and water flow rate based on the load and ambient conditions, and controls them precisely to this pressure through continuous feedback and adjustment.

T: 0870 600 1133 E: helen.marsh@carrier.com W: www.carrier.com

Elco UK has launched the energy efficient AEROPUR – a brand new air source heat pump (ASHP) offering excellent COPs of up to 4.3. This new product is accredited under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) and available in four outputs – 6kW, 8kW, 12kW and 15kW – while its reversible capabilities enable it to provide both heating and cooling.

Capable of operating up to 3-bar, the new AEROPUR® is a compact, all-in-one air-to-water unit benefitting from a monoblock construction, single phase power supply and modulating inverter driven compressor. Each model also has an in-built pump, safety valve and expansion vessel as standard. Furthermore, in keeping with its green credentials, every ASHP utilises the environmentally-friendly R410A refrigerant.

All AEROPUR® units are 908mm wide and 326mm deep, with heights ranging from 821mm to 1,363mm. Each ASHP can be used to provide flow temperatures of up to 60°C for heating systems incorporating radiators, making them ideal products for consultants and specifiers looking for a sustainable source of heating and cooling.

T: 01268 546700 W: www.elco.co.uk

JANUARY 2015

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Tomorrows technology & support services today

Our vision is to be the No 1 supplier in the UK of the most technologically innovative, energy efficient and environmentally friendly comfort cooling solutions, combined with a first class level of customer support.

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