Heat pumps are recognized as a vital technology for phasing out fossil fuels. In China, there is a &#;Double Carbon Policy&#; aiming at carbon neutrality by , and deployment of heat pumps is one of the measures. A major accelerator for the global deployment of heat pumps is the China Heat Pump Forum (HPF), which took place in Shanghai in August and brought together more than industry professionals from all over the world. Several international organizations, including the IEA Secretariat, the HPT TCP by IEA, EHPA, HPTCJ, and DBC, highlighted their perspectives on current developments and challenges.
Authors:
Hengyi &#;Cooper&#; Zhao, General Secretary of the China &#;Heat Pump Alliance&#;(CHPA)
Frank Gao, Market Director for HVACR for the International Copper Association (ICA).
Harry Schmitz, Director of Strategic Communications with the Kellen Company.
Several prominent global organizations recognize the essential role of heat pumps as part of broader plans to phase down dependence on fossil fuels. Heat pumps support decarbonization, electrification, and energy efficiency. It is now broadly acknowledged by international organizations such as the International Energy Agency (IEA) that the challenge of residential and commercial heating is best met with heat pumps.
China&#;s &#;Double Carbon&#; policy aims for a carbon peak by and carbon neutrality by . Presently, a major challenge is the deployment of heat pumps. Different regions of the world face common hurdles in deploying heat pumps on a massive scale. Chief among these challenges are providing heating in cold climates and the equitability of the deployment of heat pumps.
The China Heat Pump Forum (HPF) is a major accelerator for the global deployment of heat pumps. It is an annual event organized by China Heat Pump Alliance (CHPA) and sponsored by its members. Since its founding 15 years ago, the CHPA has grown from six members to more than 600 members today. For many years, the HPF was a regional event attended mainly by members of the CHPA. Today the HPF is an event of global importance. The HPF brought together more than industry professionals from all over the world. The HPF is a global event that is 100 percent focused on heat pump technology, It brings together big HVACR appliance OEMs and successful startups focused on new heat pump technology as well as policy makers and pioneers in new heat pump technologies from all over the world.
Considering its leading position in heat pump design and production, China is perhaps underrepresented at scientific conferences dedicated to heat pump technology. That is unfortunate because China has much to offer the heat pump community. China is already renowned for new products and manufacturing methods in the fields of solar panels and electric vehicles. The HPF is now a unique event for forming partnerships with the key stakeholders in the global heat pump industry. The HPF is widely recognized as an important event for discourse on the future of heat pumps not only for China but also for the world.
China Leads the Way
China holds a pre-eminent position in the global air-to-water (ATW) heat pump market. According to JARN&#;s special issue on &#;The World ATW Heat Pump Market &#; Update&#; [1], the ATW market in China grew to 2.47 million units in (Figure 1). China not only manufactures heat pumps for its domestic use but also exports heat pumps, especially to Australia, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain.
Every year for eight years, from to , ATW heat pump sales in China exceeded the sales in all other countries combined. Meanwhile, sales of heat pumps in Europe caught up with and exceeded sales in Japan, although this growth of heat pumps in Europe slowed in .
Figure 1: The ATW market in China grew to 2.47 million units in . (Courtesy of JARN.)&#;
Spotlight on the Heat Pump Forum in Shanghai
The most recent HPF was held this past summer at the Convention Center in the Songjiang New City International Ecological Business District. This setting was appropriate because Shanghai is living proof of what can be accomplished in a short period of time. The rapid development of Shanghai and indeed all of China is a modern miracle [2].
More than a thousand heat pump professionals espoused the continual improvement and sustainable development of the heat pump industry. (See Figure 2.) Speakers addressed the &#;hot topics&#; of markets, policy, and technology in nine specialized sessions:
Figure 2: The China Heat Pump Forum, Plenary conference, Shanghai, China. More than a thousand heat pump professionals espoused the industry&#;s continual improvement and sustainable development. Speakers addressed the &#;hot topics&#; of markets, policy, and technology in the plenary conference and nine specialized sessions.
To facilitate communications, spoken words were translated in real-time and projected onto screens along with the slideshow presentations. Simultaneous translators provided audio translations through headsets in select sessions as well. Technical papers were printed and bound with many of the abstracts, figure captions and charts translated into English.
CHPA executive general secretary Hengyi Zhao emphasized how heat pump technology is characterized by energy savings, low carbon emissions, and other environmental benefits. According to Zhao, the reason for the rapid replacement of fossil fuels by heat pumps is that they optimize thermal energy production, especially in middle and low-temperature ranges. &#;Heat pumps are the key to new, high-quality, productive forces in the thermal energy field. The technologies have significant implications for green, low-carbon transitions in heating sectors in China and globally,&#; says Zhao.(See Figure 3.)
Figure 3: Hengyi (Cooper) Zhao, general secretary of CHPA, presentation for the China heat pump industry annual report of
IEA on the Heat Pump Forum in Shanghai
This year, the International Energy Agency (IEA) published &#;The Future of Heat Pumps in China.&#; The 129-page report is the result of collaboration between the IEA and the Tsinghua University Building Energy Research Center (BERC). Created in , the BERC is devoted to the development of energy-efficient and environmentally responsible buildings in China in accordance with national and international energy and environmental targets. Hengyi Zhao (China Heat Pumps Alliance) and ChinaIO especially were acknowledged for their support on data collection and valuable insights. The full report is available for free download from the IEA website [3].
IEA Analysts Chiara Delmastro and Rafael Martinez Gordan reviewed the new report on the second day of the HPF in the session on the International Heat Pump Policy and Market Development Forum. Their presentation on &#;The Future of Heat Pump in China&#; covered the highlights of this IEA report of the same name.
Caroline Haglund Stignor, manager of the Heat Pump Centre, the program office of the Technology Collaboration Programme on Heat Pumping Technologies (HPT TCP by IEA), delivered a second IEA presentation titled &#;The Heat Pump Global Market and Technology Development&#; in the session on &#;Heat Pump Export and Refrigerant Substitution Forum&#; [4]. (See Figure 4.)
Figure 4: Caroline Haglund Stignor described existing IEA Heat Pumping Technology Annexes at the China Heat Pump Forum, Shanghai, China.
What is a Heat Pump?
One topic frequently discussed was the definition of a heat pump, especially in the context of industry statistics. It was noted by several attendees that the definition varies depending on the region of the world. In China, for example, split-type reversible residential appliances are not counted in heat pump statistics, even though the number of units sold is very large. Most split-type room air conditioners can now also provide heating by running them in a reverse cycle. These are not counted as heat pumps in market statistics for China. On the other hand, in the United States and other regions, these reversible split units would be considered heat pumps, which distorts the market statistics.
Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) technology has greatly improved over the past decade. These systems are more economical than ground source heat pumps (GSHPs), especially with respect to installation costs. The heat collected at the outdoor evaporator of an ASHP can raise the air temperature in space heating with an air-to-air (ATA) HP; or, more commonly in China, it can be used to raise the temperature of water in an air-to-water (ATW) HP.
In recent years, ATW heat pumps have become popular across residential, commercial, industrial, and district heating applications in China. One of the main advantages of such ATW system is that the refrigerant stays in a sealed unit outdoors, and cold or hot water is sent to the building. This enables the use of flammable natural refrigerants such as propane at higher charge levels. ATW hot water output can be used to heat spaces as well as domestic hot water (DHW), which is stored in water tanks and comes in contact with humans. The versatility and environmental friendliness of ATW HPs have led to their high popularity and an accelerated rate of adoption across China&#;s climate zones. The IEA has provided a detailed schematic of all the major heat pump types and their applications [5].
The European Market
The European Heat Pump Association was represented at the HPF by Mélanie Auvray, Policy Manager, who traveled to Shanghai to present in the session &#;on European Policies and Market Development for Heat Pumps (Figure 5). Also, EHPA&#;s new President, Patrick Crombez, shared his insights through a special video message [6].
Figure 5: EHPA, Mélanie Auvray, Policy Manager of EHPA, presentation about European Policies and Market Development for Heat Pumps
Auvray attributes the lower numbers in to natural gas prices, electricity prices, high interest rates, political debate, reduced ambition, and uncertain subsidy schemes. EHPA released a four-page manifesto for the European Union in February , stressing these five points:
&#;Heat Pumps: The Heart of Europe&#;s Energy Future: EHPA priorities for EU policy -&#; is the title of the Manifesto, which serves as an excellent executive-level briefing on European heat pump markets and policies. It is available for free download [7].
BDC Represents USA
At the HPF, Panama Bartholomy reviewed the American heat pump markets and policy trends in a well-received presentation [8]. Bartholomy is currently the Executive Director of the Building Decarbonization Coalition (BDC), a cross-sectoral initiative to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from the built environment. He worked for many years with the California Energy Commission before joining the BDC. Bartholomy concurs that the ATW market has not developed in the USA in part because blown-air furnaces are more prevalent in the USA compared to hydronic systems. He pointed to the importance of legislation at the state level in driving the adoption of heat pumps See Figure 6.
Figure 6: Panama Bartholomy pointed to the importance of legislation at the state level in driving the adoption of heat pumps in the United States.
Natural Refrigerants
Jan Dusek, Co-founder, Group COO, & Head of APAC, ATMOsphere traveled to the HPF to make the case for the use of natural refrigerants. Dusek presented in the session on Heat Pump Exports and Refrigerant Substitution [9]. He described the trend toward natural refrigerants over the past 15 years in parallel with the emergence of the heat pump marketplace. He pointed out the many models of heat pumps on display at the ISH in March . See Figure 5. Many models use ultralow-GWP propane refrigerant in residential heat pumps as well as commercial-sized heat pumps. Dusek also reviewed the success of the R744 residential hot water heat pumps in Japan, commenting on how the cost came down dramatically thanks to competition.
Figure 7: Jan Dusek from ATMOsphere reviewed the success of natural refrigerants in heat pump applications.
A Major New Global Market Report
A highlight of the HPF was the debut of The Global Heat Pump Market Report (). This major global report was jointly produced by the China Heat Pump Alliance (CHPA) and Beijing Zhixindao Sci-Tech Corp., Ltd. &#;&#;(ChinaIOL). The Report is available for free download [10]. (See Figure 8).
Figure 8: A new market report from the CHPA and ChinaIOL debuted at the Heat Pump Forum and is now available for free download [10].
The Global Heat Pump Market Report draws on multiple research projects by both CHPA and ChinaIOL. It embodies the &#;market research data and technical results accumulated over many years by the two parties. It &#;systematically describes the current state of the global heat pump industry, elaborates on &#;trends, and predicts future developments. The report not only sets forth a global policy profile &#;and technical standards but also analyzes local heat pump markets in Asia, Europe, North &#;America, and other regions, focusing on the development of the Chinese market. It is divided into five parts:
Its content is further &#;subdivided into space heating, sanitary hot water, industrial and agricultural drying, upstream &#;components, and industry forecasts. The report reasonably predicts the scale of global &#;demand for heat pumps while focusing on specific markets and applications.&#; The market research encompasses air-source heat pumps for water heaters and &#;heating but excludes heat pump drying products and swimming pool heat pumps. Chinese &#;market research includes household air-to-water heat pumps, VRF with hydronic heating &#;modules, low-temperature air-to-air heat pumps, commercial air-to-water heat pumps, heat &#;pumps, and wall-hung gas boiler 2-in-1 systems, (water) ground source heat pumps, and &#;absorption heat pumps.&#;
The Procurement Process
The HPF would not be complete without the procurement exhibition. Next-generation cold-climate heat pumps from innovative companies boasted good efficiency at ambient temperatures as low as &#; 36 °C (i.e., &#; 33 °F).
Manufacturers included Grundfos for water pumps, Highly, Danfoss, and Copeland for compressors, and many others for expansion valves, distributors, pipe connectors, water tanks and much more. A designer could identify economical and reliable suppliers of high-quality products for practically any heat exchanger system design.
More than one hundred companies showcased premium heat pumps and heat pump components in spaces just outside the conference rooms. These companies typically have manufacturing plants on multiple continents. (See Figure 9).
Bobiller supply professional and honest service.
Figure 9: Exhibit Floor at the China Heat Pump Forum.
Conclusion
Today, China is at the center of heat pump research, product development, and manufacturing. The HPF is an annual event that typically draws more than participants from around the globe. Even more participants are expected in as the uptake of heat pumps accelerates globally. There is no question that traditional heating by fossil fuels will be replaced by heat pumps. It is now only a matter of when this will happen. Current models of climate change warn that this transition needs to be scaled up in a matter of years, not decades. Already, we are halfway through the decade of the heat pump, and the transition is just beginning. Anyone involved in decision-making in the HP sector should make plans to attend the Heat Pump Conference [11].
References
https://www.ejarn.com/detail.php?id=
&#;Songjiang Plan&#; awarded for &#;green development&#; concept | Songjiang
3.https://www.iea.org/reports/the-future-of-heat-pumps-in-china/executive-summary
https://www.iea.org/reports/the-future-of-heat-pumps-in-china/schematic-heat-pump-types-and-applications
Choosing the best heat pump manufacturer to work with on your project can really make a difference in the long-run.
Most heat pumps last for 15-20 years with the most durable brands reaching 25 years of operation or more. The maintenance, management, support and ownership experience of a heat pump over the years varies from brand to brand, and picking the manufacturer that suits your needs best will make all the difference.
This article doesn&#;t outline the most energy-efficient heat pump systems, or which brand offers the best heat pumps in the industry. We won&#;t compare heat pump options in specific. We will look at how you should determine the best heat pump manufacturer for your specific needs.
Most well-known brands that have good reviews online are a pretty safe bet. The top brands are typically European, Japanese, Korean and American. This doesn&#;t mean that there aren&#;t any great heat pumps made in other countries, but it&#;s less likely to have trouble down the road with one of these &#; if they are commonly available in your country.
Each brand may have a reputation for leading a specific type of heat pump product. For instance, Mitsubishi dominates the cold weather heat pump market with their excellent reliability when operating in extremely low temperatures.
How long a manufacturer is in business is important. Heat pumps have been around for many years despite the technology only recently seeing increased adoption. A heat pump manufacturer with a long track record can be a solid choice compared to a relatively new manufacturer whose units have not been around enough to stand the test of time.
While we&#;re on the subject, TermoPlus has been manufacturing heat pumps for more than 30 years and has contributed to more than &#;1b in total energy savings to more than 60.000 happy customers. More importantly, many of our first heat pumps are still working even after 30 years.
Each heat pump manufacturer has top, mid and lower tier product ranges. Some manufacturers treat these product ranges differently in terms of quality management, while others try to maintain a high standard for all product lines.
Sometimes you can come across a top heat pump manufacturer&#;s model that was a total disaster. Sometimes you can also come across a specific unit that seems to last for years despite the poor design and quality standards of the manufacturer. These are the exceptions that prove the rule.
To be safe, after you have picked the heat pump brand you want to use, it&#;s worth looking up individual product reviews online to make sure you don&#;t end up with a lemon. Going with a reputable brand will save you a lot of hassle 90% of the time.
How do you know if heat pump&#;s long-term performance will be above average?
A heat pump manufacturer that develops high quality products will use top shelf components.
For instance, Mitsubishi Electric is renowned for their legendary inverter-driven compressors. They have perfected this technology over the years and this is one of the reasons they make the most reliable air-source heat pumps.
Not only does the variable speed compressor match the heating or cooling requirement more precisely (resulting in excellent efficiency), it also reduces the current strain during start-up and produces a more stable temperature.
Copeland scroll compressors are another great example. These have fewer moving parts and exceptional sealing against leakages. They also don&#;t have any valves &#; which often fail. This contributes to significantly improved durability and efficiency. They have longer service intervals since they are not so prone to wear and tear. In addition to all of this, they use a high pressure ratio valve which reduces under compression losses, improving COP at high condensing and low evaporating conditions up to 20%. Their heating optimization and the Enhanced Vapor Injection allows efficient operation even in very cold climates.
TermoPlus heat pumps almost exclusively use Mitsubishi inverter-driven compressors for the air-source heat pumps and Copeland scroll compressors for the geothermal and commercial heat pumps.
Aside from the compressor (which is often the key determinant of a heat pump&#;s lifespan), high quality heat pump manufacturers pay attention to other details too.
Large surface heat exchangers (the evaporator and condenser) mean the heat pump doesn&#;t get overworked &#; contributing to a longer lifespan.
Low vibration fans are not only less noisy, they also last longer. Brushless motors in fans also last longer.
The use of Electronic eXpansion Valves (EXVs) not only offers greater efficiency compared to Thermostatic eXpansion Valves (TXVs) but they also don&#;t get clogged with impurities that can damage them.
Quality assurance systems, facility conditions and component supply chains vary from country to country. Most importantly, quality control cultures and traditions vary. It is hard to challenge the expectations established over the years for the quality standards of Japanese manufacturers or the innovation and engineering precision of European manufacturers. Of course this is a biased perspective but there is some truth to it.
The country of origin for a particular heat pump unit is certainly a factor to consider. Some Chinese manufacturers for instance, have made great strides in quality and meeting quality standards. However, compared to let&#;s say a Japanese manufacturer with decades of tradition in quality control and innovation it is hard to dismiss the fact that Japanese heat pump brands are at the top of the quality game, and have been for ages.
Many of the top manufacturers in Europe have a long tradition in innovation and quality management.
Some specific countries have a long-standing history of expertise in producing heat pumps: Japan, the US, South Korea, Germany, Slovenia and Sweden are just some of these.
This also brings us to the next point.
Whether your heat pump was built to an excellent standard of quality is pointless unless it is well supported in your region.
To ensure access to spare parts and manufacturer-certified engineers and technicians your best bet is to pick a brand that is well-supported in your country. As the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.
The European market is mostly a mix of European brands, with some Japanese and South Korean brands:
Mitsubishi Electric (Japan), LG Electronics (South Korea), Panasonic (Japan), Vaillant (Germany)
NIBE (Sweden), Hitachi (Japan), Samsung (South Korea), Carrier (US), Daikin (Japan), and of course, TermoPlus (Slovenia). Many new manufacturers from China are now exporting to Europe too.
The North American market is mainly saturated with US brands, with a few Japanese and European exceptions:
Carrier (US), Trane (US), Mitsubishi (Japan), Lennox (US), Rheem (US), Bryant (US), York (US), American Standard (US), Goodman (US), Daikin (Japan), Fujitsu (Japan). TermoPlus doesn&#;t currently have a subsidiary or official sales network in the Americas,
In Asia, the market is almost exclusively dominated by Japanese, South Korean and Chinese brands:
Mitsubishi Electric (Japan), LG Electronics (South Korea), Panasonic (Japan), Toshiba (Japan), Hitachi (Japan), Samsung (South Korea), Daikin (Japan), Gree (China), Midea Group (China), Haier (China). TermoPlus doesn&#;t currently have a subsidiary or official sales network in Asia.
Air conditioners are technically air-to-air heat pumps that (in most cases) can heat and cool. An air conditioning system will capture and transfer heat from the outside in exactly in the same way an air to water heat pump would except that they deliver it through hot or cold air instead of radiators or underfloor heating.
Over the years many air conditioning brands moved into the production of heat pumps. That includes well-established brands such as Mitsubishi Electric, Daikin, Panasonic, Samsung and LG.
Despite lacking product-specific advantages in other heat pump technologies such as large commercial systems or geothermal heat pumps, they produce excellent residential and commercial air-source heat pumps.
Some technological know-how from experience in air-conditioning has transferred into heat pumps. Mitsubishi&#;s pioneering technological advancements in air-source heat pumps are well known across the industry. So, for air-source heat pumps in specific, choosing a manufacturer that used to be an air conditioner manufacturer in the past should not be considered a disadvantage.
Although at TermoPlus we have been manufacturing air-source and geothermal heat pumps for more than thirty years, we have adopted Mitsubishi&#;s external units for our air-source range. We only work with these units as we recognize that Mitsubishi is the best heat pump brand for air source heat pump external units &#; and is by far superior to any other.
Each type of heating and cooling system has manufacturers that stand out in the category. That is because innovation and technological experience are to a large extent product-specific.
There is great variation in product quality in the market for air-source heat pumps as they are the most ubiquitous type of heat pump. There are many manufacturers, many of which are relatively new to the market.
The quality of the manufactured product is a key factor that affects its lifespan. Product lifespans range widely with some lower end brands only lasting 15 or even 10 years and others on the higher end between 25 and even 30 years. The quality of the components used is a good predictor of the product&#;s lifespan.
Support is generally widespread but varies in responsiveness based on the service provider.
With air-source heat pumps you have more choices to pick from. It is advised that you conduct your own research to pick a manufacturer that suits your needs instead of relying on an installer to recommend the brand they work with. You should, of course, take into consideration any issues pointed out by potential installers.
In any case, it is best to get the heat pump installed by an installer experienced with that specific brand.
There are fewer manufacturers of ground and water-source heat pumps as there are also fewer installations. This part of the market is not yet saturated with cheaper, less-reliable products. It is important to consider the experience of the installer with these types of heat pumps as the majority of installers work with air-source units only.
If you have limited choices, it may be best to pick the best installer you can find and go with the brand that they find most suitable &#; so long as it ticks all the right boxes and the installers are experienced with it.
Commercial heat pumps are more complex to install and you need more experienced engineers to design the system. Especially if you wish to take advantage of applications such as heat capture, large pool heating, district heating, heat pump cascading etc.
With commercial installations you should not only consider the heat pump brand but the design and installation team that will also maintain the system in the future. It is advisable that you consider a few installer proposals and make a decision as you would for a long-term service package.
That said, if you consider working with a TermoPlus heat pump you will also get system design input from our product design engineers and the ability to get a heat pump custom-built for your needs.
One of the distinct advantages offered by TermoPlus heat pumps is the support we offer for system customization. We offer engineering support directly to installers so that your heat pump installation is optimized for efficiency by design. Even if this is offered by intermediaries instead of the manufacturer directly, it is an important to be able to reach out and get the right support you need to have your installation optimized by expert engineers and HVAC system designers.
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