Global net zero requires global integration, research and technology.
Vattenfall has confirmed plans to launch an innovative heat pump solution in the Netherlands, with a view to a UK launch, while the UK Government has allocated £19m of fresh funding to heat networks.
Vattenfall announced on Wednesday (5 January) that it will begin offering an all-electric, high-temperature heat pump technology to customers in the Netherlands later this year. While most heat pumps keep water temperatures between 45C and 55C – around 15C to 25C cooler than with gas boilers – the new technology is able to heat water to the same level as gas boilers.
The advantage of the higher temperature, Vattenfall has said, is that it will mitigate the need for consumers to retrofit their homes to improve energy efficiency before installing a heat pump. This could enable a swifter and cheaper transition away from gas boilers.
Vattenfall notably has an overarching sustainability vision to “enable fossil-fuel-free living within a generation” in the markets in which it operates.
In a statement, Vattenfall said that it intends to launch the innovative heat pumps, which it is selling through its consumer technology subsidiary Feenstra, to the UK market in the future. The statement outlines how Dutch and British gas central heating infrastructure is similar, meaning the technology could be a good fit for UK homes outside of urban areas.
The UK Government’s Heat and Buildings Strategy, published in October 2021, notably contains a commitment to bring heat pump costs – both upfront and operational – in line with gas boilers by 2030. This should pave the way for the elimination of gas boilers in most properties by 2035. At present, homes account for around one-fifth of the UK’s annual national emissions, largely because of fossil-fuelled heating and energy inefficiency. Read more….