HARNESSING ENERGY WITH HEAT PUMPS: Getting inside the renewable energy loop

摘要

Heat pumps have become an increasingly popular choice for building projects from offices to schools, hotels and even zoos. Heat pump technology is now available in a range of sizes and types (air, water or ground-source) and skilled installers are nationally on-hand to ensure good operation from the start. But there is still room for wider use of this robust and well-known technology. Government has also expressed an interest in promoting heat pumps. Even though incentive schemes for some renewables have fallen by the wayside, support for heat pumps remains strong. For example, in 2014, DECC produced a nationwide heat map, illustrating the enormous amount of stored heat energy in rivers, canals and other bodies of water across England. Its aim was to encourage engineers, local authorities and private builders to use water-sourced heat pump technologies more widely.