You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Heat pumps three times more efficient than gas boilers
Heat pumps are three times more energy efficient than gas boilers, a new government-backed pilot has shown.
According to interim data released as part of the government’s Electrification of Heat (EoH) demonstration project, which is monitoring the performance of air source heat pumps (ASHPs), they performed well even on the coldest days, with only a relatively small reduction in performance.
The data also found that high-temperature heat pumps had comparable efficiencies to low-temperature ones, indicating that they are a viable solution to reduce home retrofit requirements.
A total of 742 heat pumps, which were installed into a broad spectrum of housing types and ages, are being monitored throughout the trial.
The project, funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and managed and co-ordinated by Energy Systems Catapult (ESC), is working to understand the technical and practical feasibility of a mass roll-out of heat pumps into British homes.
READ MORE
The interim results of the monitoring, conducted between November 2020 and August 2022, showed that heat pumps were three times more energy efficient than gas boilers.
The data also showed that efficiency of the systems has improved by 30% to 40% since the Renewable Heat Premium Payment scheme heat pump trial was undertaken between 2011 and 2014.
Researchers said this is likely down to innovation in the sector.
But they also found that while the average performance has improved, performance variation remains high, and this consistency of heat pump design and installation needs to improve to support a large-scale roll-out of heat pumps.
The project analysed the performance of heat pumps on some of the country’s coldest days – when mean daily temperatures fell to as low as -6°C – and found only a marginal decline in whole system performance.
It also found that high-temperature ASHPs – those that can achieve flow temperatures similar to that of a gas boiler – are a viable solution for meeting the heating demand of a property.
Researchers concluded that use of high-temperature units reduces the need for deeper retrofit and provides a potential solution for less efficient homes.
ESC, an innovation centre, was set up to speed up the transformation of the UK’s energy system to reach net zero.
Marc Brown, business leader at the organisation, said: “The interim findings of the Electrification of Heat Demonstration Project highlight just how far the industry has come in innovating to improve the performance and efficiency of heat pumps.
“With the release of this data, we can finally put to bed the notion that heat pumps do not work in cold weather conditions and that they are inefficient to run.
“We’ve observed the exact opposite. They are three times more efficient than gas boilers and work in cold weather conditions. Innovation is changing the game in the heating sector.”
He said that while the sector is taking steps in the right direction, it “should not grow complacent”, adding that innovation and training are “critical to the success of a mass roll-out of heat pumps”.
“We’ve done the hard work and demonstrated that heat pumps work – the UK is heat pump ready. Now we need to apply those learnings.
“Government and industry should commit to investing in upskilling existing installers in low-carbon heating solutions and doing more to attract new talent into the sector.
“This should be coupled with public and private investment in innovation to help transform the sector and deliver on our net zero ambitions, without losing sight of the consumer,” Mr Brown said.
The data will be refreshed, with additional analysis undertaken after the total monitoring period in autumn 2023.
Sign up for our asset management newsletter
Already have an account? Click here to manage your newsletters
