At EMEX 2022 the UK’s leading net zero and energy management event we set out exactly why demand for heat pumps is warming up and unleashing a world of new opportunities. Heat pump technology is fast becoming hot property offering clear incentives for businesses to deliver real world benefits and measurable savings in both cost and carbon. In a lively discussion at EMEX 2022 we unpacked the challenges and pain points and explored the key reasons to move towards low-carbon heat pump solutions. We also dived into the methods and applications and talked through how to maximise building efficiency through artificial learning. Here’s some of the key takeaways from the discussion:
 

Reimagining the built environment

Commercial buildings are experiencing a revolution in terms of how they operate and step up to their sustainability responsibilities. As the heating and cooling make up almost 50% of a building’s energy consumption in both residential and commercial buildings, insight on how a building consumes its energy in order to reduce its carbon emissions is a priority like never before. 

Heat pumps are central to reaching a decarbonised future. The Carbon Trust found that heat pumps have the potential to deliver CO2 savings of up to 70% compared to conventional electric heating, and up to 65% compared to an A-rated gas boiler which uses a combustion process to burn fuel gas and air. At Johnson Controls, we combine renewable energy sources with our proven environment controls to maintain your building at an optimum temperature whilst satisfying your net zero commitments. 
 

Driving the Heat Pump agenda

The switch to HPs is gaining traction in the UK. However, we are still lagging behind many other European countries when it comes to HP installations. The availability of gas, price relatives between fuels, and policy frameworks from governments are affecting a wide uptake in heat pumps in the region. 

To overcome some of these barriers to adoption, Part L of the Building Regulations states that non-domestic buildings should be moving to low-carbon heat sources. The government has already set a target of 600,000 heat pump installations per year by 2030, and the Committee on Climate Change estimates that 19 million heat pumps will need to be installed by 2050 to achieve the net zero goals globally. Yet, fossil fuel boilers are still the most common source of heating in the UK so we need to make a rapid transition from gas to low carbon heating solutions. 

Since at least 80% of our buildings are expected to still be standing by 2050, most of these will involve retrofitting solutions in existing buildings. The electrification of heat through HPs, where the electricity to drive the HPs comes from renewable sources, is a key technology in cutting costs and carbon emissions and increased energy security. And many more businesses are waking up to the opportunities brought by HPs. Just one example is supermarket leader Waitrose who recently announced the replacement of its gas boilers with electric heat pumps in all its supermarkets to tackle energy costs and bring forward net-zero plans. But how can businesses know what’s best for them, and where investments will truly deliver return on investment (ROI)? 
   

Not a one-size-fits all

Choosing which HP model is right for a business requires serious thought. The decision is driven by the overall economic case, operator needs, health, safety and environmental (HSE) requirements and external factors, such as weather. The YORK® YMPA Series, for example, delivers overall system efficiency and performance while providing low GWP refrigerant to reduce impacts on the environment. 

The best solution, however, is the one that provides the highest value in terms of cost and efficiency or return on investment (ROI), which we can calculate and advise you on. Johnson Controls is a proven partner that can deliver the most efficient solutions based on the requirements for your building.As the global leader in smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, we have a mission to drive the net zero agenda and reimagine the performance of buildings to serve people, places and the planet.

As is with any new technological equipment, there are many complicated configurations that are sometimes difficult to optimise. When you have a very complex building with a complex set of data that needs to be connected and analysed at every level, you need to dig deeper. This is where Artificial intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) come in.

Using model predictive control, AI and ML can take every possible scenario of a building’s data set to build an understanding of the actual energy conversion rate for each element of the building. This in turn helps us to understand how to run the system as a whole, rather than in siloes. New data that comes in is automatically added as a scenario and the AI learns from this to create better recommendations for optimisation. It is also able to add in any constraints or anomalies, which means we can accurately use the data from the platform to preview optimum operating point. Thus, enabling us to understand what we need to implement into the system to deliver the energy in the most efficient way.

Proving our expertise

Children’s of Alabama, the third-largest paediatric medical centre in the United States partnered with Johnson Controls to reduce energy, operational, and maintenance costs through a long-term Operations and Maintenance (O&M) contract. Our design featured a highly efficient heat recovery chiller that could provide both chilled and hot water to the hospital while significantly reducing natural gas usage. The use of on-site personnel, preventative maintenance, and advanced monitoring technology has enabled the hospital to run the plant with only a single full-time manager. With Johnson Controls designing, operating, and maintaining the CUP, it has met or exceeded performance guarantees during each year of the contract, providing approximately $250,000 in savings annually.
 

A new way of operating systems

With the drive towards net zero in need of urgent acceleration, the way we operate systems is key to reducing energy. Introducing heat pumps is a solution for businesses to improve efficiencies, drive down costs, and remain on track for carbon neutrality. Yet we must remember that introducing these new systems increases complexity, so we need to move towards better models, deployments, and set points to achieve better energy efficiency. 

The good news is you don’t need to make the switch alone. Tackling challenges, driving down costs and building improvements into an entire operation is at its heart an exercise in collaboration. By choosing us as a reputable partner, we can implement systems across a whole suite of different buildings with different needs, including university campuses and hospitals to deliver the carbon reduction goals for your buildings through sustainable energy sources. Despite the pain points we have an urgent prerogative to set a new standard through people, technology and processes. Let’s make sure we don’t let the potential slip away. 

As the drive towards decarbonisation and environmentally friendly solutions to heating and cooling accelerate, at Johnson Controls we are at the forefront of the technological revolution to design, manufacture, install, and service ultra-energy efficient HVAC products such as water and air source heating pumps. 

If you’d like to discuss your heat pump requirements in further detail, then please get in touch with us using the form further down this page.