Heat Pumps Today

20 By Griff Thomas, from Renewables Training Provider, GTEC. Get tech, for success The ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT) has become a standard fixture in the world of building services as we control many elements of our home and work environments using clever tech to ensure optimum temperatures, greater efficiencies and a better understanding of power-usage and cost. Domestic controls, such as NEST, have been connecting our home heating, lighting and entertainment devices for some time now, and the latest solar pv panels come with apps that show electricity generated, how much individual appliances use and what is sold back to the grid. This is all great for consumers, but could this type of tech be helping installers too and how specifically could the IoT improve the heat pump sector? June | July 2023 T H E I N T E R N E T O F T H I N G S ? Griff Thomas We are all very used to the delights of our smart phones; we track our steps, monitor our sleep and make sure the heating’s on when we get home. There really is an extraordinary amount of technological clout quite literally in the palm of our hands. But, while many heating installers may now be getting involved in fitting the clever controls that link back to internet enabled devices, it’s likely that the very start of this process – getting the heating system right for the particular application – began with a tape measure; particularly important for heat pump installers, where accurate room surveying and heat loss calculations are a must. Things are changing, however, and very soon the process of installing the latest heat pump technology will match the connected, internet enabled world we now live in.