Heat Pumps Today

17 By Tim Rook, Chartered Engineer for Clade Engineering Clade Engineering reveals how Commercial Heat Pumps can accelerate the NHS's road to Net Zero targets The NHS has set an aggressive goal to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2040, 10 years ahead of the UK Government’s national goal. This means that the NHS aims to reduce its carbon footprint to as close to zero as possible and offset any remaining emissions. The NHS’s Net Zero targets include: ° Reduce emissions from buildings and transport by 80% by 2028-2032, compared to 1990 levels ° Achieve net zero emissions from buildings and transport by 2040 ° Implement sustainable healthcare practices, including reducing waste, water usage, and travel emissions ° Increase the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency measures in healthcare facilities ° Develop sustainable procurement policies and practices to reduce the environmental impact of goods and services purchased by the NHS Commercial heat pumps will speed up these net zero plans. They are an innovative energy-saving device that can drastically lower carbon emissions from buildings. In order to heat or cool interior areas, the pumps draw heat from the air or ground. This contributes to a reduction in carbon emissions and the advancement of sustainability by lowering the energy required to heat and cool structures. These goals are a component of the NHS’s larger effort to address how climate change is affecting people’s health and to advance environmentally friendly medical procedures. The NHS will have saved £250 million by 2034. And heat pumps present a huge driver towards these energy savings and reduced emissions. Advantages of Using Commercial Heat Pumps in Hospitals N E T Z E R O "HEAT PUMPS CAN BE THREE TIMES MORE EFFICIENT THAN BOILERS" www.acrjournal.uk/heat-pumps How can we ensure that even in places where resources are scarce, our hospitals and trusts have enough environmentally friendly, renewable electricity and heat? Commercial heat pumps are a type of HVAC system that uses renewable energy sources to heat and cool buildings, reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions. “The NHS uses enormous quantities of heat and hot water to provide safe and effective healthcare for patients. Currently, this is generated by the combustion of fossil fuels, a high cost and high carbon activity. Heat pumps are the only scalable, available and viable low carbon heat generation technology. In particular, natural refrigerant heat pumps offer a very low carbon sustainable heating option. CO 2 heat pumps can generate very high temperatures suitable for hospitals where cleanliness and hygiene are of vital importance” says Tim Compared to conventional heating and ventilation systems, commercial heat pumps bring these top benefits; 1. Use less energy and have lower running expenses because they are energy efficient 2. Renewable energy, which lowers carbon pollution. 3. NHS facilities can use them for heating, cooling, and hot water, and they deliver consistent and warm interior temperatures 4. Improved indoor air quality 5. Compliance with regulations and standards Heat pumps can be three times more efficient than boilers and emit no carbon dioxide when linked to a low-carbon, off-grid, or net metering tariff. To supply renewable energy to NHS sites, more facilities can use commercial heat pumps in addition to solar panels and wind turbines. How do Heat Pumps work? Heat pumps operate efficiently by absorbing heat at a low temperature from the air or ground, increasing that heat to a higher temperature and transferring it into your commercial space, without producing any harmful emissions. Heat pumps absorb the energy from the environment and ‘concentrate’ it using a compressor for use in buildings, to provide heating and hot water. The compressor runs on electricity, the ratio of electricity to heat is the key performance measure and should be between 2 and 4 or even greater. Air source heat pumps are more eco- friendly, and make up for around 94% of the heat pump market. They include CO 2 , and Propane heat pumps. CO 2 heat pumps are great for high temperature and work through using CO 2 as the natural refrigerant fluid. Tim Rook, Chartered Engineer for Clade Engineering