32 TECHNICAL
AIR SOURCE
HEAT PUMPS
HEROES OR
VILLAINS?
ASHP do not deserve their reputation as a low-carbon
technology, argues David Strong. Oh yes they do,
counters Max Halliwell overleaf.
Professor David Strong,
CEng, FEI, FCIBSE
TECHNICAL
Chief executive
Inbuilt Consulting
Problems persist
with the technology
I
was involved in the development of
the first generation of air source heat
pumps in the late 1970s. It was an
exciting new technology – a simple
way to absorb heat from outside a building
and use it to warm the inside, and smaller
and easier to install than its soil-covered
cousin, the ground source heat pump.
The technology took some serious
knocks in the 1980s because of reliability
issues and failure to deliver on its promises.
Today, there are many applications where it
can contribute to energy efficiency. When
used for swimming pool heating in spring,
summer and autumn, for example, a well-
designed system can be very cost-effective
and deliver significant carbon savings. Air
source systems can also be effective in
recovering energy from building extract
systems and industrial processes.
As awareness of their potential
BSD JULY 2009 / ISSUE 06
benefits has grown so, inevitably, have the
marketing promises. There are claims that
air source heat pumps (ASHP) provide a
“low-carbon technology” for all space
heating needs, with manufacturers stating
coefficients of performance (COPs) up to 4.
There is, however, a basic flaw that no
one is talking about, and it’s to do with the
UK climate – specifically when outside
temperatures fall below about 5C, as in a
big proportion of a typical British winter.
Most of these systems are based on
technology originally designed for air-
conditioning. Little objective, reliable,
independent performance data is available
on the seasonal performance of the latest
technology being installed in the UK.
Despite this, ASHP have been classified by
the Department for Business, Enterprise &
Regulatory Reform as a renewable low-
carbon technology and three manufacturers
are listed in BRE’s Green Book as providing
“approved products”, which are eligible for
grants from the government’s Low Carbon
Buildings Programme.
BRE has tested ASHP performance in
different operating conditions in the
laboratory, and the Energy Saving Trust is
planning performance trials. Meanwhile
there is a conspicuous lack of independent
data on actual seasonal performance.
Trials in the 1970s and early 1980s
found a significant amount of energy was
wasted via evaporator defrosting. Ice build-
up on the evaporator is a serious problem
for ASHP, typically occurring when outdoor
air temperatures fall below about 5C (as
high as 7C for some systems). In extreme
conditions COPs fall to less than 1 (ie, worse
than direct-acting electric heating).
The most common way of removing
the ice is for the heat pump control system
to switch the unit into a reverse cycle mode.
Then the outdoor heat exchanger

Ice build-up on the evaporator can be a serious problem, says David Strong. The ice can be removed by putting the
system into reverse mode, but this markedly reduces the energy performance.
(evaporator) becomes the condenser, with
hot refrigerant used to remove the ice. In
this mode, electricity continues to be used
by the compressor and heat is removed
from inside the building (ie, the condenser
temporarily becomes the evaporator). Other
systems use hot-gas bypass or direct-acting
electric elements for defrosting.
Clearly, whatever type of de-icing
system is used, the energy needed will
markedly reduce the seasonal performance
of the system. The energy used has a big
impact on economic performance too.
There are three other serious concerns:
■ noise from the fan and compressor can
be intrusive in domestic/urban locations;
■ snow could block the airflow around an
ASHP, preventing the system operating
unless it is manually removed, which would
be unacceptable to many householders
(particularly the elderly or infirm); and
■ the heat output from an ASHP reduces
markedly as outdoor air temperatures fall,
so a system may have difficulty meeting
demand when it is most needed. Most
manufacturers include an additional
heating system to avoid this problem,
usually a direct-acting electric flow boiler or
a bivalent system which includes a gas- or
oil-fired boiler, with all the attendant
additional costs and complexity.
These issues caused trouble with the
first generation heat pumps in the 1970s
and 80s and there are concerns that
problems persist with the latest technology
despite improvements in compressors, heat
exchangers and controls, including the
inverter/variable-speed drive systems.
It is also worrying that ASHP, which
are specified ostensibly as a “renewable”
low-carbon form of space heating, can also
be used to provide cooling in summer. This
TECHNICAL 33
may be great news for electricity companies
(by providing additional summer load), but
from a sustainability perspective it is
perverse. This Trojan horse aspect of ASHP
is never mentioned in the context of their
green credentials. It is, though, cited by
some manufacturers as an extra “benefit”.
I fear that when the true operating
performance and/or operational limitations
of outdoor air source become known, there
will be a negative market reaction to heat
pump technologies of all types, as
happened in the 1980s. This could have dire
consequences for the manufacturers and
installers of well-designed ground source
heat pumps and air source systems used for
heat recovery and swimming pool heating.
We desperately need independent
monitoring of external ASHP in different
geographical locations to ensure systems
originally designed and tested primarily to
provide air-conditioning in hot climates can
operate efficiently in cold, wet and humid
climates.
I also have grave misgivings about the
rapid deployment of variable refrigerant
volume/variable refrigerant flow heat pump
systems in the UK for applications such as
offices, retail, hospitality and healthcare.
Often, particularly when internal heat gains
within a building are low or when installed
in poorly insulated buildings, the defrost
energy requirements will be extremely high.
Our climate hasn’t changed much
since the first generation of ASHP was
marketed in the 1970s. Nor have the basic
laws of physics and thermodynamics.
De-icing, noise, operation in heavy snow
and reduced heat output at low outdoor air
temperatures are still big problems today,
despite improvements in technology. Before
embracing these systems as a renewable
low-carbon technology, research to measure
performance in the field is needed urgently.
ISSUE 06 / BSD JULY 2009
34 TECHNICAL FOCUS
Max Halliwell
Product manager
Mitsubishi Electric Heating
Today’s ASHP have
huge green potential
M
odern ASHP offer a tangible
way for each household to
reduce energy use. Our
Ecodan system, which has
been independently tested by BRE, can
deliver an average 50% cut in CO2
emissions against a gas-fired boiler. It also
makes sense financially, as it can cut
running costs by up to 30% over gas.
Savings in CO2 and monthly bills are even
greater against oil, LPG and direct electric.
As one of the ASHP manufacturers
listed in BRE’s Green Book, and one of the
few whose whole range is fully accredited to
the Microgeneration Certification Scheme
(MCS), we welcome the opening of a debate
on the seasonal performance of ASHP in
the UK. We too are concerned that the low-
carbon potential of modern systems will be
overshadowed by claim and counterclaim
for different manufacturers and competing
technologies.
Much of what Professor Strong has
stated relates to ASHP technology of
10-20 years ago and bears little r
esemblance to modern systems. The point
about no system working efficiently or
reliably below 5C, for example, is easily
countered by the evidence of widespread
adoption of ASHP across north Europe –
200,000 units last year alone – including
Scandinavian countries where average
winter temperatures are far lower than
the UK.
We undertook trials in four UK
locations this winter, when temperatures
dropped to -9C in many parts of the
country, and believe that Ecodan works
effectively down to -20C.
Almost 75% of the energy used in UK
homes goes on space and water heating.
Ecodan will provide heating and hot water
for the majority of UK homes, regardless of
location, provided each building’s heat
BSD JULY 2009 / ISSUE 6
loads are calculated properly and the
system sized accordingly. It will work with
radiators and underfloor heating systems in
all properties, old and new, that have
modern insulation standards.
Using technology from our air-
conditioning products has helped to reduce
noise and maximise energy efficiency as
well as to ensure reliability. Ecodan is not an
air-conditioning system, however, nor does
it provide a reverse cooling function.
Detailed modelling has shown that cooling
is neither necessary nor sustainable in most
homes. What is needed is better ventilation
for the few days a year when our bedrooms
get a bit sticky. We have decided to forgo
the benefits of short-term air-conditioning
sales in the residential market and focus on
where we believe our technology can make
a difference – residential heating.
Coming back to seasonal performance,
our winter trials showed average COPs from
3.0 to 3.33 despite some of the lowest
recorded outdoor temperatures for decades.
These were measured in four properties: a
three-bed terrace in Hertfordshire (average
outdoor temperature 7C), a four-bed semi
near Luton (4C), a large five-bed detached
home in Newcastle (6C), and the BRE
visitor centre in Watford (4.4C).
We appreciate that these are our own
tests but we are also involved in field trials
with the Energy Saving Trust. which will
provide the “independence” Professor
Strong demands. Our literature, like all
other manufacturers, lists the COP
measured in lab tests. For the Ecodan range,
this is 3.85-4.19. We hope our winter tests
will show beyond doubt that modern ASHP
can offer a reliable alternative to fossil-fuel
based heating systems, and provide
accurate in-use figures for the market.
The professor’s point regarding defrost
cycles is, again, applicable to older-
generation, fixed-speed ASHP, which do
Trials have shown that Mitsubishi’s Ecodan ASHP (above)
works effectively down to -20C, says Max Halliwell.
indeed consume large amounts of energy
when defrosting under certain ambient and
humidity conditions. Inverter-driven
compressor technology means Ecodan has
a typical defrost cycle of three minutes,
keeping energy use to a minimum, and this
is likely to occur about once an hour in
exceptional conditions.
Ecodan would not have achieved MCS
accreditation without stringent testing,
including defrost performance, and the
published figures reflect this. The same can
be said for noise levels as this is also
independently tested as part of the MCS
scheme. A modern ASHP is no louder than
a condensing boiler.
Following up the professor’s other
concerns, heavy snowfall is highly unlikely
in the UK and where it does happen
regularly, such as Scandinavia, a snow
hood can be fitted easily with no impact
on performance. In terms of a back-up
heating system, if the ASHP is correctly
sized and installed then nothing is
required, although an electric immersion
heater is probably a worthwhile safeguard
for any residential system, whatever the
primary source.
We see a big future for ASHP as the
best mass-market alternative to gas and oil-
fired heating and have invested heavily in
development. Later this year UK production
of Ecodan will start at our factory in
Livingston.
We are delighted with the results of
our seasonal tests, especially as we know
that we will be able to improve on them in
real terms, not just in the lab. What the
market needs now is enforceable targets
for efficiency, independently monitored, so
that consumers can have real confidence
in the products and the figures.
To join the debate, email us at
bsdeditorial@ubm.com