NZEB and Heat Pumps

NZEB and Heat Pumps

The significant renewable energy requirements for a NZEB building can be easily provided using heat pumps. Heat pumps can be used to provide space and hot water heating and their contribution typically provides compliance to the NZEB requirement assuming the fabric of the building meets certain standards and the heat pumps have sufficient efficiency.
Heat Pumps are considered a renewable energy technology because they produce more energy than they consume, the more energy they produce relative to what they consume the more renewable energy they provide. Thus heat pumps which have higher efficiency (COP) such as the Kronoterm and PIco Energy heat pumps provide compliance easier than heat pumps with lower efficiency.
KRONOTERM HEAT PUMPS – 45 – 70 KW
PICO ENERGY 20 kW

Heating with Heat Pumps

Public and Non Domestic buildings will be the first buildings to build to NZEB standards. Air to water heat pumps to provide space and DHW heating is a good option to bring these buildings into compliance. High output air to water heat pumps from Kronoterm and Pico Energy can be used to provide heating and hot water. Outputs up to 90 kW per unit are available with the ability to cascade multiple heat pump units to provide higher heat outputs. Glenergy has a number of successful projects completed using these units.

Residential NZEB with Heat Pumps

All new buildings will need to be compliant with NZEB requirements at the end of 2020 – this means residential buildings being built on Jan 1 2021 will need to comply to NZEB. Glenergy’s current heat pump solutions will bring residential houses to compliance with NZEB without major fabric upgrades required. More information on using heat pumps for NZEB in residential is available here: https://glenergy.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Nzeb-Heat-Pumps.pdf

Hot Water Heat Pumps and NZEB

Splitting the space heating and DHW heating between different heat sources can often be beneficial when looking at NZEB compliance. Because space heating requirements are reduced in a NZEB building, DHW heating systems become more important. The Kronoterm range of hot water heat pumps are of exceptional quality and efficiency.

Using these heat pumps often enables compliance with Part L and NZEB easier than by using other methods. There are a number of advantages notably that space heating plant can be reduced in size and high temperature options such as Natural Gas can be used to provide space heating. The hot water heat pumps also marry well with electricity producing solar panels as a load is present i the building to use the electricity produced.