Ignore them at your peril

It’s time to stop talking about heat pumps being a future technology that is not suitable for the UK’s homes. The reality is very different, writes Peter

Alongside the differing responses to the need for a decarbonised future for domestic heating in the UK, there has been an unhealthy willingness to chase the spectre of new technology and a dreamlike, instant future, heralded by the arrival of hydrogen as the answer to all our problems.

All the while, the proven technology and energy efficiency provided by heat pumps has been shuffled away as some kind of black art that simply cannot work. Or, if it can, it won’t work in a large percentage of homes in the UK.

There are hundreds of thousands of heat pumps being installed in Germany this year, and hundreds of thousands are already fitted and operating very well across Scandinavia and North America as well as in mainland Europe.

But the penny is dropping. The UK heating industry, in the form of its heating engineers, at any rate, is making the decision to welcome heat pump technology. Heat pumps are being encouraged by the government, increasingly being accepted by the new-homes sector and offer a clear option for replacement heating systems. They’re gaining significant ground when it comes to acceptance as

Spurway, national sales manager, Heating Projects, at LG

Electronics.

the key technology for renewable heating and hot water.

The increasing sales and installations of heat pumps cannot be ignored: the heating sector is voting with its feet. Of course, there will always be room for alternatives on a local scale but there is no sensible, proven alternative to heat pumps across the country – whether on or off-grid. Companies are investing in heat pump manufacturing facilities as the demand grows and it becomes ever clearer that heat pumps can actually do a very good job.

Stepping up training opportunities and providing facilities will be key to providing the resources that the heating industry wants and will need to be able to accommodate the government’s target of 600,000 heat pumps a year being installed by 2028. The relatively conservative investment being made in the Boiler Upgrade Scheme needs matching and more to support training of the cohorts of installers lining up to be trained.

LG is about to unveil the latest version of its Therma V Monobloc air-to-water heat pump. The new Therma V R290 Monobloc offers easy management with convenient remote service.

Software updates and installer settings can be quickly taken care of via remote support, providing customers with a hassle-free experience. Remote system diagnosis is available via LG’s Building Energy Control (BECON) cloud.

Previewed at the ISH Show in Frankfurt earlier this year, the heat pumps provide improved water heating performance and reliable low-temperature operation. Along with providing a leaving water temperature of up to 75°C, the Therma V R290 Monobloc operates in temperatures as low as -15°C.

LG also presented the newest addition to its Therma V R32 Split line-up at ISH 2023: the Therma V R32 Split 4kW and 6kW series. The new models are more compact and lighter than previous models, which makes them suitable for smaller spaces as well as being easier to install.

Almost monthly, new developments are unleashed that see heat pumps getting more efficient, less expensive and even easier to fit. It’s not a static market: it’s a constantly improving one that sees every aspect of the heat pump revolution driving the market onwards and upwards.

Because they have small capacities, Therma V R32 Split 4kW and 6kW do not require a large amount of refrigerant. This means that the indoor units are exempt from the minimum floor area requirements typically imposed on solutions that use R32 refrigerant. This translates to greater design flexibility and can further simplify the installation process.

Heat pumps work. They are available and they are delivering now. With investment in more renewable electricity generation, the ambition of net-zero carbon by 2050 is becoming a reality. But it needs broad minds and a new realism: a willingness to believe the possible and make it happen, step by step.

And it needs to see the heating industry talking to each other about the best way forward rather than hiding their heads in the sand and hoping that the government will extend the deadlines for fossil-fuelled boilers to be used in UK homes for a little longer. ■