Why Choose Heat Pumps
RHS have two high temperature heat pumps – one produces hot water to 65⁰C and the other to 90⁰C.
Why Choose Heat Pumps
Recent advances in the performance of leading makes of ASHPs mean that they are now capable of producing water which is hot enough simply to be coupled up to existing central heating and hot water systems without costly and disruptive adaptation.
Why Choose Heat Pumps
Heat Pumps are now able to meet the full heating requirements of buildings even down to -20⁰C., so they no longer need to be backed up with supplementary heating.
Why Choose Heat Pumps
In general terms, using an Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) to replace fossil fuels will produce the following energy cost savings:
- From natural gas to ASHP - 25%
- From Oil or LPG to ASHP - 55%
Why Choose Heat Pumps
For the ultimate cost reduction, the installation of heat storage (currently large hot water tanks) will enable the production and storage of most of a 24 hour day’s heat requirement using off-peak production on very low cost tariffs, the savings with storage would be some:
- From natural gas to ASHP - 50%
- From Oil or LPG to ASHP - 82%
Why Choose Heat Pumps
Air-source heat pumps harness heat from the air so that the efficient modern heat pump would normally reduce the temperature of the air passing through it by 4 degrees C. In doing so, the modern ASHP typically produces 3-4 times as much useful heat from 1 kilowatt of fuel than a boiler fuelled by mains gas, oil or LPG
Why Choose Heat Pumps
Heat Pumps are seen as the most cost-effective form of renewable technology ( - Professor David McKay, Chief Scientific Advisor to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC)).
Gov Accredited Installations
The Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) has been established by the Government and the regulatory authorities to ensure that those companies supplying and installing heat pumps are properly accredited, and audited annually.
Gov Accredited Installations
Government Grants and Incentives are not paid unless the Heat Pump installation has been carried out by an MCS accredited organisation.
Gov Accredited Installations
MCS accreditation is confirmed only after the applicant has demonstrated that they have the relevant experience and competency of design and specification; and have successfully carried out installations, commissioning and maintenance of heat pump applications.
Case Study
Heat Pump Case Study – Hostel at Newmarket
Project Overview
In 2010 we were requested to tender for a prestigious project in Newmarket.
The project was the renovation and extension of a hostel to accommodate some 32 international students who attend a 5 month live-in course on racehorse management and care.
Mitsubishi and Dakin were the preferred heat pump suppliers, but they had no models which would match the technical specification, without expensive boosting.
The renovated building required water for sanitary (domestic hot water) use at 60⁰C and heating at 55⁰C at ambient temperatures down to -15⁰C. And that the heating water temperature should be ambient temperature compensated.
It was required that there would be no electric temperature boosting nor double compression.
Our heat pumps turned out to be the only ones to match this specification.
Photo of Hostel
The Design
We designed a modular set up using 4 x 3 phase heat pumps of 14kW each. These would be controlled by the building management computer on a cascade basis for optimum efficiency.
Photo of Installation
The pipework is of reverse return design.
Adjacent to the heat pumps we included a 200 litre inertia tank. This adds necessary volume to the system and reduces cycling and thereby reduces electricity consumption, and unnecessary wear and tear.
Photo of Inertia Tank
We also incorporated a by-pass and shut off valves so that we could start up and test the heat pumps and our controls before the rest of the building was finished. This ensured that once the builder’s heating engineers had completed and tested their work, the heat pumps were immediately ready for service.
The building design required that the heat pumps transfer their heat via a heat exchanger in the plant room. This was a good design as it limited the extent of the heat pump’s water to a closed circuit of about 100 litres plus the inertia tank of 200 litres requiring 60 litres of glycol insertion to provide protection down to -20⁰C.
The installation has been commissioned and met the required temperatures at the hand-over test.
Financials
Cost of the system (excluding civils) £42,000 plus VAT at 5%
Running cost p.a. had the project been on oil at $100 per barrel £12,153
Running cost p.a. on electricity £4,500
Savings p.a. £7,650
Pay back 5.5 years
This installation is available for inspection
The client has recently built a visual shield around the plant –
Photo with wooden surround
Gov Accredited Installations
RHS has obtained full accreditation against the rigorous standards of the Government-sponsored Microgeneration Certification Scheme, covering the design, specification, installation, commissioning and maintenance of the systems in question.
The previous main Grant for Heat Pumps was from the Low Carbon Buildings Program. This ceased in April 2010. It is replaced by the Renewable Heat Incentive.
Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI)
The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is a government instigated incentive program to encourage energy users to move from traditional gas, oil and electric heating systems to installing heat pumps and some other renewable technologies.
Most modern MCS accredited heat pumps are efficient and robust, giving out more heat per £ of energy cost per kW than gas, oil, LPG or direct electricity heating.
In doing this heat pumps reduce carbon emissions by about one half in the case of oil replacement.
Under the RHI scheme, the Government has part published the GSHP payments, these are about 4.5p per kW instead of 7.0p per kW. If ASHP goes the same way,7.5p per kW will be reduced to 5.0p per kW. There was the mention of the Advanced Payments - these are £850 for ASHP and £1200 for GSHP. The government will announce in May 2011 interim terms for Heat Pumps and payments for ground source will commence in October 2011 and we do not expect any further details on air source RHI until April 2012.
Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS)
The RHI (and some other local authority grants) will only be paid if the heat pump installation has been designed, specified, installed, commissioned and maintained by organisations which are MCS accredited.
The MCS is a quality scheme setting minimum standards for renewable technologies throughout the UK to ensure that consumers have certainty of minimum performance standards and that the Government only spends grant aid with installations which have been professionally designed and expertly installed.
MCS accredits Heat Pumps and Installers
MSC also covers the heat pumps themselves, so MCS installers may only install MCS accredited heat pumps.
To become MCS accredited requires a breadth of experience in the heating and air conditioning; design and installation industry and various other skills including accreditation for Unvented Hot Water Cylinders.
Prior to accreditation, there is a thorough audit of the applying organisation to prove competence and experience. There is then a physical audit of installations made by the applicant.
Annual audits to ensure ongoing compliance
There follows annual audits to ensure ongoing compliance of the MCS requirements and these will include RHI Certification. Organisations who fail to continue to comply put their MSC accreditation at risk.
MCS is a scheme set up by the Building Research Establishment who are the Government's appointed agents for compliance with the EU Directive.
MCS is administered by GEMSERV.
