Heat Pumps Today

10 Social media and newspapers are flooded with myths about heat pumps. Let's take them one by one in this post by Dr Jan Rosenow Debunking heat pump myths Myth 1 “Heat pumps don’t work in cold climates.” False. The most heat pumps can be found in the coldest climates. More than half of all households in Norway have one as our research shows. June | July 2023 H E A T I N G https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-022-01104-8 Myth 2 "Heat pumps don't perform when it's cold." Mainly false. Even at temperatures below freezing heat pumps still perform well as field data shows. For very cold temperatures well below freezing hybrid systems may be needed. A great Twitter thread with lots of resources here: https://twitter.com/duncanmgibb/ status/1630945862674153472 Myth 3 “Heat pumps don’t work in existing buildings.” False. From long-standing research: “The research results clearly show that heat pumps as heating source function reliably also in existing buildings. As a rule, the units worked flawlessly.” https://blog.innovation4e.de/en/2021/03/03/ how-well-do-heat-pumps-really-work-in- existing-buildings/ Myth 4 “Heat pumps don’t work in old buildings.” False. Recent results from the UK indicate that there is no significant variation in performance based on house age. I also had a heat pump in my home built in 1880 since 2019 performing very well. https://es.catapult.org.uk/news/heat-pumps- shown-to-be-three-times-more-efficient-than - gas-boilers/ Myth 5 “Heat pumps cost more to run & increase heating bills.” This depends on energy prices in your country. The IEA produced a handy interactive calculation tool that allows you to explore & compare economics of different residential heating systems. https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data- tools/residential-heat-economics-calculator Myth 6 “A heat pump needs to stay on all the time.” You never switch the heat pump off manually but this does not mean the heat pump is operating all the time. The system automatically adjusts to outside and indoor temperatures and ramps down when it is warmer. Myth 7 “Heat pumps work with underfloor heating only.” Heat pumps work well with radiators too. In some cases radiators may need upgrading. But it has been common practise in recent years for heating installers to 'oversize' radiators. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ article/pii/S0360544221032011 Myth 8 “Heat pumps won’t keep you warm.” Most households who installed a heat pump report that they are as comfortable or more comfortable than before the installation in survey by Coolproducts EU 81% have seen the level of comfort improve. https://www.coolproducts.eu/coolproducts- reports/heat-pumps-perform-successfully- across-europe-new-consumer-analysis/ Myth 9 “Heat pumps are noisy.” Ground source heat pumps make very little noise. Air source heat pumps can be quiet too as this video shows. Also remember: in the summer when you're out in the garden heat pumps usually don't run as no heating required. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=GKDF5a47eJk&ab_ channel=DoreWoodman Dr Jan Rosenow Fig. 2: heat pump penetration and number of heating degree days in 2021 in selected countries Figure 2 shows how colder countires (more heating degree days) tend to have higher levels of heat pump penetration. Number of heating degree days is a population-weighted average with a reference temperature of 18°C from 31 . Heat pump penetration shows the number of heat pumps existing per 100 households in selected countries in 2020. Data is taken from 4, 18, 22, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38