Modern Building Services

22 MODERN BUILDING SERVICES FEBRUARY 2023 FEATURE HEATING A s our buildings account for no less than 40% of emissions, reimagining the built environment around us is a priority like never before. But with many businesses battling just to keep the lights on amid soaring costs, determination to boost energy efficiency, sustainability and healthy buildings run a real risk of moving down the business agenda. The government recently announced a six-month emergency energy price 1 cap to help UK businesses reduce the price paid for energy, as bills continue to soar. But while this is welcome news, organisations cannot rely on the government support alone nor live in hope that oil & gas prices will fall significantly in the near future. One tangible solution lies in reducing operating costs and optimising in the places where it matters most. Heating and cooling make up almost 50% of a building’s energy consumption in both residential and commercial buildings. To reduce energy consumption and limit costs, our buildings would naturally seem like a good place to start. Heat pumps are vital to reaching a decarbonised future. The Carbon Trust 2 found that heat pumps have the potential to deliver CO2 savings of up to 70% compared to conventional electric heating, and up to 65% compared to an A-rated gas boiler. But how do businesses know what’s best for them, and where investments will truly deliver return on investment (ROI)? Driving the heat pump agenda The growing momentum towards Net Zero Carbon emissions by 2050 is likely to accelerate the replacement of fossil fuelled boilers with heat pumps. Europe, which is leading the move to be carbon neutral by 2050, has already committed to at least 40% cuts in greenhouse gas emissions (from 1990 levels) by 2030 and is proposing to increase this ambition to 55%under the European Green Deal (EGD). More recently, it has also put climate change and the energy transition at the heart of its economic recovery fromthe COVID-19 pandemic, providing economic incentives for the implementation of low-carbon technologies and energy efficiency. Heat pumps are an important part of the equation. The switch to heat pumps is gaining traction in the UK. However, we are still lagging behind many other European countries when it comes to heat pump installations. The availability of gas, price relatives between fuels, and policy frameworks from governments are affecting a wide uptake in heat pumps in the region. Waitrose recently announced 3 it is replacing its gas boilers with electric heat pumps in all its supermarkets to tackle energy costs and bring forward Net-Zero plans. Part L of the Building Regulations states that non-domestic buildings should bemoving to low-carbon heat sources. The government has already set a target of 600,000 heat pump installations per year by 2030, and the Committee on Climate Change estimate that 19 million heat pumps will need to be installed by 2050 to achieve the Net Zero goals globally. Michael Anderton , General Manager UK&I of HVAC Building Solutions at Johnson Controls, discusses how commercial buildings are experiencing a revolution in terms of how they operate and step up to their sustainability responsibilities. It’s time for UK businesses to [heat] pump it up