Confused about Heat Pumps?

16th January 2012

Are you confused about Heat Pump Technology?

This renewable technology is quite new to the heating industry and is generating much interest. Whenever there is a lot of interest there is inevitably a lot of confusion as well. New regulations, accreditation schemes, grants available for certain areas not to mention the need for trained engineers and helpful selection/design information. So no wonder then, that in this embryonic industry people are desperate to acquire sufficient, reliable information to consider which way they should go. Air Source? Ground Source? High Temperature? Medium Temperature/ Coefficients of Performance? MCS? RHI? Ofgem? Are you less confused now?

In areas where grants are available, they are only given where the renewable system has been installed by an MCS accredited company using trained and qualified engineers.

Heating engineers are of course more than familiar with the water side of conventional domestic and commercial systems but will need to learn about the features and benefits, similarities and differences between the traditional and the new.

Heat pumps are here to stay, they have been around since Lord Kelvin described the theoretical process and Peter Ritter von Rittinger built the first one in the 1850’s.

Based on the basic vapour compression refrigeration cycle used to produce cooling they are even more efficient when running in the heating mode. The major limitations are, as always, to do with correct selection and skilful installation. Both matters that can be addressed by suitable training and national certification.

The City & Guilds 2399 suite which covers all renewable technologies now includes certification for the installation and commissioning of heat pumps. Both these qualifications cover the workings of heat pumps and are designed for heating engineers and satisfy the MCS accreditation for people who are installing mono-block, often called ‘plug and play’ systems (the non refrigerant side).

F Gas certification is required for anyone who is going to be installing the pipework for the refrigeration side of heat pumps.

To make sure that engineers get the most out of their course the selected training centre should have a history of delivering refrigeration and air conditioning courses at the appropriate level. The knowledge examinations are quite demanding and require a thorough grounding in heat pump (refrigeration) technology and basic principles. Once in possession of the basic skills and knowledge engineers will be able to adapt and work confidently with whichever version of heat pump technologies that suits the application they are involved in. Like all technologies there is really no short cut – while skills are always transferable, the underpinning knowledge must be gained first in order to make the skills useful when transferred.

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