BSEE HEAT PUMPS
As electricity prices continue to rise and environmental targets tighten, identifying energy‐efficient, sustainable heating solutions rises up the energy agenda for businesses in off‐grid locations. High‐efficiency, renewable LPG‐driven gas absorption heat pumps could be the solution to meeting low carbon legislation and achieving lower running costs, says Mike Hefford, Product Application Manager at Remeha.
12% of UK greenhouse gases. Addressing the efficiency of the UK building stock is therefore essential if we are to achieve the government’s 80% emissions reduction target from baseline 1990 levels by 2050. With heating accounting for nearly half the energy use in a building and its associated greenhouse gas emissions, this service offers huge scope for carbon cutting. Replacing any inefficient, polluting heating equipment with high- efficiency, renewable heating technologies will dramatically improve both building efficiency and performance. But which equipment to choose?
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Businesses may face an increasing struggle to marry financial and environmental sustainability when it comes to heating provision as electricity prices soar. And for the 11.5% of the UK that is off-grid, the challenge to generate sustainable heating is arguably greater given the highly polluting properties of alternative fuel options.
One renewable technology that can play a crucial role in decarbonising heating in off-grid buildings is the gas absorption heat pump (GAHP). This high-efficiency low carbon heating solution easily meets the low carbon requirements of Part L of Building Regulations – and crucially, it can operate on either natural gas or low carbon liquefied paraffin gas (LPG).
High efficiencies
So how does a gas-driven heat pump work? GAHPs combine the best of heat pump and gas condensing technology. Like all heat pumps, they transfer heat with the aid of a refrigeration cycle. GAHPs work by capturing energy from the surrounding air, which converts to higher temperatures with the aid of an ammonia and water refrigeration cycle.
By combining this free renewable energy with a highly efficient condensing heat generator, GAHPs can achieve outstanding seasonal gas utilisation efficiencies (GUE) of up to 165% under ideal conditions. The more realistic GUE of 130% still greatly outperforms conventional methods of
ccording to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), non-domestic buildings account for
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EXPLORING GAS ABSORPTION HEAT PUMPS Pumping up the savings for off‐grid businesses
heating buildings and delivers payback in around four years.
Lower running costs
For all businesses, a key advantage of this technology is its use of gas or LPG rather than electricity for operation. As electricity prices continue to rise, the spark gap between electricity and LPG prices widens. The economic consultancy Frontier Economics predicts that power prices are set to increase by a further 5 to 10% in the next year, due to the fall in Sterling. With LPG typically around two thirds of the price of electricity, a GAHP delivers far more financially sustainable operation than an electric heat pump. The significantly lower running costs can deliver immediate and long-term energy cost savings that will support continued profitability.
And as it requires only an extremely low electrical running current to operate – just 1.09kW for a single unit – there is no need to increase the electrical incoming supply. This reduces any unnecessary hassle and expense, making it a straightforward retrofit option.
Small carbon footprint
Then there’s the carbon factor. For businesses needing to cut carbon emissions, renewable LPG heat pumps offer an environmentally-friendly solution to heating and hot water. By using LPG directly at the point of use, GAHPs can provide 98% of usable heat energy for off-grid buildings. Put another way, that’s twice the amount of useful energy delivered by heat pumps operated by electricity from inefficient power stations. LPG also compares well with other fuels, showing a carbon footprint of around 20% lower than oil.
The result? Sustainable use of the energy resource and a smaller carbon footprint.
High sustainable values
LPG heat pumps can also significantly improve the BREEAM rating of a building. The use of ammonia, a naturally forming chemical, as the refrigerant brings two credits for zero ozone depletion potential and zero global warming potential. It also qualifies for a third point for the absence of Hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) refrigerants. Further points come from its status as a low carbon technology and its ability to achieve low NOx levels by using a condensing heat generator with a premixed modulating gas burner.
uRemeha Fusion Gas Absorption Heat Pump: By combining this free renewable energy with a highly efficient condensing heat generator, GAHPs can achieve outstanding seasonal gas utilisation efficiencies (GUE) of up to 165% under ideal conditions.
28 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER MARCH 2017
How does this benefit the company? Higher BREEAM ratings bring clear financial and environmental advantages. Due to the core values of BREEAM, buildings with higher ratings are likely to generate environments that are more sustainable to operate, helping reduce energy costs and meet ‘green’ targets. At the same time, strong ‘eco’ credentials can attract customers favouring sustainably- minded organisations.
Then there’s the growing connection between sustainable building
uA Remeha Fusion GAHP hybrid system provides low carbon heating for residents at this care home in Banbury.
environment and occupant health, wellbeing and productivity that has led to the alignment between BREEAM and the WELL Building Standard assessment scheme. With their high GUE and low NOx, LPG heat pumps provide a sustainable route to reliable, cleaner, greener heating – helping a company achieve its wider environmental commitments while protecting its competitiveness.
Flexible
But just how practical a solution are they? LPG heat pumps offer flexible design options and are equally suited for use in new building developments and in existing buildings.
Straightforward to design and install, they can be specified as a single unit, in cascade arrangement or as a complete new design in a hybrid system with LPG condensing boilers. The high performance of LPG heat pumps means that they deliver reliable operation even at low outside temperatures and continuous heating even in defrost operation. And as LPG heat pumps are sited outdoors along with the LPG storage tanks, they help save valuable indoor space. Using LPG heat pumps for low carbon heating and water provides numerous benefits for off-grid businesses and organisations across all sectors. In care homes, for example, their high performance means they reliably meet the high demand for heating and hot water. Similarly, their use in hotels ensures a comfortable environment for guests and endless hot showers. In leisure centres and warehouses, LPG is a cleaner, safer fuel option than oil with none of the contamination risks. The same is true for garden centres, which also benefit from the reliable heating to keep greenhouses at the required constant temperature and provide an agreeable in-store environment. In high-efficiency, low carbon, low NOx LPG heat pump technology, off-grid businesses have a practical means with which to address greater sustainability. This high-performance heating equipment not only improves their use of energy resources and reduces their environmental impact – it can ultimately bolster the organisation’s bottom line.
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GAHPs combine the best of heat pump and gas condensing technology. Like all heat pumps, they transfer heat with the aid of a refrigeration cycle. GAHPs work by capturing energy from the surrounding air, which converts to higher temperatures with the aid of an ammonia and water refrigeration cycle.
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