The UK Energy Saving Trust (EST) has released the results of a new study which shows that the performance and efficiency of heat pumps has increased following recommendations concerning their design, installation and operation. Technical data obtained from an in-depth study of sites across the country has found that well-installed heat pumps perform to a very high standard and that those homes best suited to their installation can expect to generate savings and income of around £1,350 per year for air source heat pumps and around £3,000 per year for ground source heat pumps.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) announced in July that householders could receive payments of hundreds of pounds per year for heat generated by renewable heat technologies, such as heat pumps, under the domestic phase of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). The EST study has found that eighty per cent of users are satisfied with their heat pump’s performance, while over three quarters (77 percent) would recommend a heat pump to a friend, primarily on the basis of its efficiency and running costs. The results build upon Phase 1 of the EST research, released in 2010, which identified recommendations for the industry and end-users in order to achieve better performance from the technology.
The Phase 1 results found that the best-performing systems were often those that were properly designed and installed. The latest study, conducted between 2010 and 2013, investigated variations in performance and included interventions carried out to achieve improve performance from heat pump installations. Overall 20 percent of the 32 heat pumps undergoing interventions between Phase 1 and this study achieved improvements in performance with the remainder achieving similar or slightly lower performance.
“Based upon the results of the study, we are convinced that heat pumps can play a significant role in providing an effective heating solution for homes and reducing carbon emissions” said Jaryn Bradford, EST’s senior technical manager. ““From the study, it is clear that heat pumps are sensitive to design, commissioning and how the householder uses the system. However, the performance monitoring trials have provided early indications that the introduction of improved installation standards, among other things, will lead to improved performance. The interventions carried out during the study are an early indication of the successes that robust standards can achieve. If heat pumps were installed today under the current installer guidelines, alongside further customer guidance on operating the system, they would achieve even better performances than indicated in the study.”
Mr Bradford went on to add that the recent government announcement concerning the RHI is a positive step in the right direction which has produced an increased uptake in renewable heat technologies among householders, communities and businesses. The EST expects this trend to continue following the announcement of financial incentives and the new savings and income figures, alongside the recommendations from the EST study, can only help to encourage the uptake of heat pumps in homes across the UK.
Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker MP said that he wants to see more people across the country reap the rewards that renewable heating technologies have to offer.
Further information:
