09 Sep 2010 11:09:07
New guidelines for installation of heat pumps' should be introduced'
Techniques for the installation of air source and ground source heat pumps must be improved to make the technology "mainstream", claims the Energy Saving Trust.
The organisation carried out a field trial of heat pumps at more than 80 sites in the UK to establish the efficiency of such devices and areas for improvement.
It concluded that many of the systems already installed were performing well, with many offering an overall system efficiency rating of three and above.
The ground source heat pumps studied for the trial were shown to be "slightly" more efficient than the air source devices. The pumps cost between £7,000 and £13,000 to install.
However, the trust found that "the system efficiency figures for the sample of ground source heat pumps were lower than those monitored in similar European field trials".
New best practice and training guidelines must be drawn up for the industry and the Microgeneration Certification Scheme must be reviewed to include standards for products and their installation, the report concluded.
Simon Green, head of business development for the Energy Saving Trust, said that the results were "more varied than expected" and funding was being sought to extend the trial to address this issue.
