Heat Pumps 24 Keeping the noise down

Noise levels are one of the biggest concerns that consumers have about heat pumps, so what can installers do to ensure that they’re not going to be left with an unhappy customer? One easy solution is to look out for products with the industry-recognised Quiet Mark, but what does it mean and what are manufacturers doing to ensure that their products meet requirements?

In a recent survey of gas and heating engineers, plumbers and other industry professionals, almost half (47%) of respondents said that, other than price, noise level was the biggest obstacle for consumers to switch to heat pumps.

The survey was undertaken on behalf of Samsung Climate Solutions and the company reveals that operational noise was therefore a major concern in the development of the company’s latest range.

“We understand just how important quiet is in the home,” says the company’s heating product manager Joseph Raftery. “Therefore, noise levels were a top priority in the R&D of our new product, so much so we called it the HT Quiet. This unit operates with a four step quiet mode at decibel levels as low as 35dB, without compromising on performance. We have achieved this through innovative precision engineering including a custommade insulation jacket on the compressor, spring grommets and multi-serrated larger fan blades.”

As technology continues to develop, installers should have the flexibility to install heat pumps in more built-up areas. For example, one of Samsung’s

About The Mark

When consumers see the distinctive purple Q logo on a product, they can be confident that the product is one of the quietest of its type on the market.

Quiet Mark is an independent global certification programme associated with the UK Noise Abatement Society charitable foundation. Rigorous acoustic testing and third party verification and assessment of declared technical data enables Quiet Mark to identify the quietest products in multiple categories spanning many sectors, including home appliances, building sector materials and commercial sector products. The awarded lownoise products of over 80 global brands are displayed on the website: www.quietmark.com installer partners, Your Energy Your Way, has recently installed one of the first HT Quiet units on the flat roof of a semi-detached 1900s property in Winchester. This heat pump more than meets regulatory noise requirements, allowing it to be placed on the flat roof, without compromising on garden space or comfort within the home. The heat pump cannot be heard from inside the house or the surrounding area.

Stuart Campbell, the homeowner, has commented: “One of the main reasons for choosing the HT Quiet was the low noise levels and we are very pleased with the outcome. We haven’t found it to be intrusive at all, and it has helped us to move away from gas which is our ultimate aim.”

Quietly does it

Vaillant is another company to recognise the importance of sound levels, and noise reduction was a top priority when developing its aroTHERM plus air-to-water range. The heat pump underwent extensive development and testing to ensure it produced the lowest possible sound. When in operation the aroTHERM plus has a sound power of just 54dB, which in real terms is slightly more than the sound of a refrigerator, and has seen the aroTHERM plus achieve Quiet Mark certification.

“For homeowners considering a heat pump as their heating technology of choice, noise can be an important factor,” says Mark Wilkins, technologies and training director at Vaillant.

“When it comes to system design, installers can look to further minimise the noise impact for homeowners by addressing factors such as the installation site, clearance surrounding the unit, and any materials or structures which may cause noise to be reflected.

“To reassure homeowners even more, MCS accredited installers can also carry out a noise impact assessment ahead of installation to establish the ideal location for the heat pump to be sited, further minimising sound levels of the unit,” he adds.

Easy to live with Worcester Bosch has Quiet Mark certifications for both its 7400i and 7000i heat pumps, which were achieved with noise levels of 38 and 46dB respectively.

“The customer experience is central to our products’ development,” explains Martyn Bridges, director of technical services. “Our products are designed to be easy to use and easy to live with, which is demonstrated by our Quiet Mark certifications.

“Quiet Mark’s scientific testing and assessment identifies the quietest appliances on the market, with certified brands being amongst the top 20% of quietest performers.”

To further aid noise reduction, the 7400i model benefits from a sound diffuser, and the 7000i can also be fitted with a sound insulating hood.

“Power levels of air-to-water heat pumps are controlled under planning regulations, which means noise levels must not exceed 42dB one meter away from your next-door neighbour’s home,” adds Martyn.

Assessment procedure

Poppy Szkiler, Quiet Mark CEO and cofounder, explains how the company makes its assessment of heat pump noise levels: “While we are aware that a heat pump can produce different levels of noise depending on a number of factors, it is the dB level as declared on the energy label which we take into consideration when making our assessment, reflecting the testing parameters of the ISO standard.

“The Quiet Mark market-wide databases are split into different sub-categories to ensure product models are compared on a likefor-like basis. Heat pumps are split into air source and ground source models. They are then broken down further into kW outputs, for example, air source heat pumps are sub-categorised into 4-6kW, 7-9kW, 10-12kW, etc outputs for comparison. Only between 10% to 20% of the quietest, best performing products are awarded Quiet Mark certification. Each product category is re-evaluated annually to reflect changes in the market.”

Information source

In December 2021, Quiet Mark announced a partnership with NBS, a leading construction data and specification platform, to empower architects to specify ‘acoustics first’, by providing a short-cut for specifiers to source responsible products.

Heat pumps listed on NBS Source can now be narrowed down to those with a Quiet Mark certification, using the Quiet Mark search filter.

“The partnership enables the 3600+ practices that use NBS to create specifications, to easily source Quiet Mark certified products and materials. The aim is to elevate the aural design of buildings, optimising the overall level of acoustic comfort for occupants,” says Poppy Szkiler.

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