Heat Pumps Today

28 February | March 2023 With the government’s recent Build Back Greener strategy setting out proposals for the decarbonisation of the UK economy by 2050, businesses and consumers alike are now backing calls for significant carbon reductions to be made in the next decade. From Part L of the Building Regulations to the government’s Minimum Energy E„ciency Standards (MEES), building managers and owners of non-domestic buildings are increasingly having to meet strict legislative requirements in order to meet ambitious targets for net zero. This oŒers an important opportunity to rethink the entire design and operation of buildings in the retail industry, in order to meet net zero targets. Going forwards, project managers and senior-decision makers in the retail sector must focus on adapting buildings to meet legislation for energy e„ciency, while also prioritising comfort and safety for shoppers. Helping the retail industry to reach net zero N E T Z E R O As part of this wider shift towards energy-e„cient design, there must be a greater focus on the heating, cooling and ventilation equipment installed in retail spaces. With the right technology, installers and project managers can reduce costs, boost performance, and increase energy e„ciency – and ultimately ensure shoppers have a comfortable, low-carbon shopping experience for years to come. Making heating sustainable Heating is one of the UK’s largest producers of greenhouse gas emissions, so decarbonising the way we heat our buildings is critical for meeting net zero targets. While there are a growing number of low-carbon heating solutions available for use in commercial spaces, technologies like inverter-driven heat pumps are particularly suited for applications in the retail sector. This is because inverter-driven heat pumps use a variable speed compressor to regulate the speed of output depending on the temperature requirements of the building. As a result, high volumes of energy are only used during periods of high demand – an ideal solution for shops and busy commercial centres where demand fluctuates at diŒerent times of the day. Inverter-driven heat pumps can also be wall-mounted with a streamlined, compact design, which operates quietly and discretely without disturbing shoppers. Air curtains that can be connected to heat pumps are also an eŒective way to reduce long-term service and maintenance costs for this type of technology. Air curtains restrict the temperature- controlled air within shops from leaving, while maintaining the indoor temperature of the shopping outlet, and keep down the running costs and energy needing By James Harman, Business Development Manager at Mitsubishi Electric