Heat Pumps Today

14 Haier HVAC Solutions European General Manager Bob Cowlard on how the air to water heat pump can pave the way to a low carbon future. Air to water is the retrofit answer Heat pumps are at the heart of our vision for a low carbon future. Everything we do as a company aims to ensure that the design of each product is better than the last one and we believe our heat pumps reflect this. We also believe laying the building blocks for a sustainable future is very important. The air to water heat pump market will be a key driver in helping to meet the low carbon challenge facing domestic heating and cooling across the UK. With the days of fossil-fuelled domestic boilers numbered I believe air to water heat pumps are fundamental in getting close to the Government’s low carbon targets. But how the industry handles this is a challenge in itself. I believe that we are all going to have to adopt a more pragmatic approach to sales and installation. Our thinking should not consider plug and play but more how we find the right solution for each individual customer. Industry lacks the skills The retrofit market presents its own set of challenges. The industry still lacks the skills to speed up change in old buildings. Heat pumps bolted on to existing plumbing will not be the answer. Gas and heat pump systems have different water temperatures, so an easy fix will not work. This presents a dilemma for the industry and one that on the face of it could lead to bad installations. August | September 2021 O P I N I O N What about Hybrid? A hybrid approach could be the way forward. Although the installation of gas boilers will be outlawed in new builds in 2025, the retrofit market will be in no position to turn its back on gas. Here I can see monobloc heat pumps fitted alongside existing gas boilers as a workable option for many homeowners. This means a complete refit of all the radiators and associated plumbing will not be needed. These systems could become common place as homeowners look to become more environmentally-friendly but keep costs down. With one set of controls running both systems I can see the monobloc heat pump becoming attractive to many customers. I can see plumbers trained to install monoblocs but they will not get involved in the refrigerants’ side. Competent refrigeration engineers will be needed to handle this work. The cost challenge can also be met head on. Haier believes that once heat pumps are produced on a large-scale, prices will come down. Subsequently, they will be more economically attractive to the domestic market. With sales of fossil- fuelled domestic boilers diminishing, the way will then be clear for the air to water heat pump to replace them. As an example; Haier Super Aqua heat pumps have a capacity range from 5kW to 16kW making them suitable for the domestic and small-size commercial market applications. I believe our monobloc systems guarantee total comfort in the home. Compact design allows the units to be installed where space is limited. We were also one of the first companies to pioneer the use in Europe of the low GWP refrigerant R32 in heating and cooling back in 2016. Our innovation is driven by the mindset to lead current and future lifestyles. We aim to deliver improved climate comfort at optimum performance with all-new concepts, technologies, products and services. And, we’re committed to a green concept throughout the value chain from design to manufacturing, to servicing to logistics and through to recycling. Carrot & stick The key issue facing the industry is persuading the Government to drop the carrot and stick approach. By this, I mean the Government has to do more to educate the end user to the benefits of low carbon technologies. Only when making the switch to low carbon technologies is fully understood by the homeowner will the domestic heat pump market in the UK gather pace. At the end of the day, it is the customer wanting to go that extra low carbon mile to protect the planet that will clinch the deal all round. Free renewable energy from the outside can sustain a low carbon future for the homeowner