Heat Pumps

Viessmann’s new sub-distribution system links various components and connects them to the power grid. Its Wallbox has a charging capacity of 11 kW (three-phase) and is equipped with a 7.5-meter “Type 2” charging cable.

Japan’s Toshiba has shared the results of a “future-proof” housing project in the United Kingdom. It combined two 11 kW air-source heat pumps in a five-bedroom house in Chester, England, with a 16 kW PV system and an 11 kW battery. The property is reportedly energy neutral in the summer months.

The government of Canada announced it is now accepting applications for its Oil to Heat Pump Affordability Program. Eligible low-to-middle-income Canadian households currently heating their homes with oil can apply for an upfront payment of up to CAD 10,000 ($7,413) toward purchasing and installing a new, electric, air-source cold climate heat pump.

Finnish researchers have studied different scenarios to convert a Nordic oil-heated townhouse into a carbon-neutral building. They dimensioned an off-grid PV-powered heat pump system using waste heat recovery from a hydrogen storage system and calculated its life-cycle cost. They concluded that the solution is less profitable than grid-connected systems.

Daikin has started building its first heat pump factory in Lodz, Poland. The Japanese heating manufacturer will invest €300 million ($327.2 million) in the new facility, which is expected to start operations in July 2024.

LG Electronics North America has revealed plans to manufacture 100% electric heat pumps in the United States for the first time.

UK-based Ideal Heating has announced plans for a new GBP 10 million ($12.5 million) heat pump R&D research center in Hull, England. Heat Transformers, meanwhile, said it has raised €15 million ($16.4 million) to accelerate heat pump deployment in the Netherlands, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

China sold the most heat pumps in the world in 2022, but Europe recorded the highest growth in overall sales, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). It says Italy, France, and Germany accounted for almost half of all sales in Europe, and notes that air-to-water heat pumps were the most popular technology.

Property developer Steenoven and an undisclosed construction contractor have started drilling a borehole for a new thermal energy storage system in the historic city of Bruges, Belgium.

While it initially had a chilling effect on the Polish residential solar market, the transition from net metering to net billing has also resulted in positive changes, such as better sizing of rooftop PV systems and a higher rate of self-consumption, says Instytut Energetyki Odnawialnej (IEO), a Polish research body.