Finding the right hot water heat pump solution

The challenges in finding the right hot water heat pump solution involve much more than the equipment. For projects requiring carbon neutral heating or hot water systems, it helps to work with a supplier that has the ability to design and engineer a solution that will achieve the desired performance and sustainability outcomes for the project, using proven technology.

Providing bespoke packaged heat pump systems.

What underlies this ability to provide a bespoke solution, is a thorough understanding of the principles involved and the performance characteristics of various heat pumps under specific loads while exposed to different environmental conditions. A one size fits all approach simply does not work in the majority of commercial, industrial or agricultural hot water or heating applications.

Recently we discussed the challenges of finding a packaged heat pump supplier with Jeremy McLeod of Breathe. As well as being the Founder and Design Director at Breathe, Jeremy is the Founder and Managing Director at Nightingale Housing, an organisation focused on creating carbon neutral housing for people, not profit.

Jeremy’s response was enlightening. “When we first started talking to mechanical engineers and the whole consultant team, because they hadn’t worked a lot with packaged heat pumps, they were nervous about how they would operate. We saw systems being over-specified, and a number of redundancies put in place which was making the systems look expensive. It was our meeting with Anthony Plaisted at Automatic Heating that changed the whole ball game for us.”

Changing the whole ball game for Jeremy, has meant solving the challenge of providing heating and hot water for Nightingale Housing projects in a sustainable and affordable way, while meeting their carbon neutral development objectives.

For engineers accustomed to specifying gas heating and hot water systems, transitioning to heat pump technology can raise concerns. The tendency to use peak hour load, converted from a gas system to a heat pump system, without recalculating the recovery time, can result in an over-specified system. The resulting direct impact to costs inflates projected financial outcomes and diminishes the appeal of an electric system. Heat pump systems can then appear less attractive, when in fact, if designed correctly, they offer economic and ecological long term sustainable efficiencies.

Recovery time with an electric system is different to a gas system. Storage tanks are crucial to designing an efficient, effective, and reliable electric heat pump heating system. At Automatic Heating, packaged systems incorporating Revere CO2 heat pumps, Thermex thermal storage tanks and Duraflex expansion tanks, are designed and engineered to accommodate all aspects of the project’s heating or hot water demands.

There are obvious advantages in working with an experienced team, who understand and build systems with capabilities that drive efficiencies and cost savings. Smart heat pump systems can be configured to maximise off-peak power usage while utilising available green energy, including solar, to provide the most efficient and cost-effective heating solution. This ability to qualify hot water demands and heating loads based on the total area to be heated, while engineering a solution with optimal cycling and solar augmentation is an important attribute to consider when partnering with a packaged heat pump system supplier.

Another important consideration may be where the system is manufactured. The packaged heat pump systems supplied by Automatic Heating are manufactured by Automatic Heating in Australia. Automatic Heating also provides commissioning and servicing for all its products nationwide.

To achieve the optimal result for your next project, ensure your packaged heat pump supplier has the skills, experience, know-how and the team to design and deliver solutions that will result in a successful outcome.
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