Decarbonization of homes is the sustainability challenge of today. It’s the newest addition to the global paradigm shift towards a more sustainable economy. In the automotive industry, agriculture and even in air travel, efforts have already been made to reduce or eliminate carbon emissions from energy sources. Next on the list: homes.

 

Heat pumps are more than ready to take on the challenge of home decarbonization. They are not a technology of the future, but an established solution, ready to go mainstream.
 

Many people simply don’t understand how a heat pump works. Others are of the opinion that heat pumps must be noisy, can’t look nice or simply aren’t there yet in terms of reliability. And maybe homeowners still entertain assumptions about heat pumps that are no longer valid today, simply because the pace of innovation in heat pumps is brisk.

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One of those outdated assumptions might be efficiency, which until some time ago could have an impact on cost-effectiveness and return on investment. Air-to-water heat pumps in general tend to show a drop in efficiency when outdoor temperatures go down. At sub-zero temperatures, heat pumps traditionally needed a little help from the electricity grid to offer the required comfort. Of course, this threatens the cost savings and emissions reduction that heat pumps offer.

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But newer generations of heat pumps are increasingly capable of high efficiencies, even at lower outdoor temperatures. The Daikin Altherma 3HHT for example does not require any additional energy down to minus 15 degrees Celsius outdoor temperature. Innovations like the 3HHT amount to a watershed moment for heat pumps as a replacement for fossil fuel boilers.