#hes very comby! hes cosy :]

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Will hotter heat pumps win over homeowners?

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By Chris Baraniuk

Technology of Business reporter

The first heat pumps Graham Hendra sold, about 15 years ago, weren’t very hot.

“To get 50C – that was quite hard,” says the former wholesaler, referring to the temperature of the water that these devices sent to radiators, known as the flow temperature.

Today’s gas combi boilers are typically designed for flow temperatures of around 50-60C.

The older heat pumps might have struggled to heat some homes adequately unless the homeowner decided to install larger radiators, for example. The increased surface area of such radiators helps transfer heat into the room.

But a new breed of heat pumps is emerging. Engineers have gradually improved the technology, meaning that heat pumps are now able to supply much higher temperatures, sometimes in excess of 70C.

A major change has been the rise of new refrigerants, including R290, or propane. This is the fluid that circulates inside a heat pump. In an air source device, the refrigerant captures warmth from the outside air, even on cold days. By compressing the slightly warmed refrigerant, the heat pump is able to increase the temperature and then transfer that heat into a property.

R290 is more environmentally friendly than older refrigerants so leaks are not as potentially damaging in climate change terms. Plus, it is up to 34% more efficient, which helps heat pumps supply higher temperatures without incurring severe efficiency losses.

Mr Hendra is now technical director at Genous, a firm that gives advice to homeowners on how to make their properties more energy efficient.

“We have a thing in our industry that I call ‘temperature anxiety’,” he says, likening it to the “range anxiety” that some consumers have about electric cars.

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But the advent of hotter heat pumps means that such concerns are increasingly becoming irrelevant, he suggests.

It might take time to convince some, however. Paul Ciniglio, head of whole home retrofit at National Energy Foundation, a charity, is currently working on a project in Bicester covering more than 500 homes.

“We’re trying to get as many as a quarter of them to sign up to heat pumps but it’s proving really hard going,” he says. “There has been so much negative press.”

Some residents are sceptical the heat pumps will be hot enough, he explains, adding, “With the advent of this new refrigerant, it could be a game-changer.”

Among the firms offering R290-based heat pumps are Octopus Energy, a renewable energy company. It recently announced a heat pump called Cosy 6, which can heat water up to a maximum of 80C. In principle, homeowners could change their heating system over with little fuss, says Alex Schoch, head of flexibility. “Combi boiler out, heat pump in,” as he puts it. This could make heat pumps viable in a broader range of UK homes, which are notoriously poorly insulated in comparison with much of Europe.

Vaillant’s aroTHERM plus heat pump works in outdoor temperatures as low as -20C and can supply hot water at up to 75C, though to remain efficient it is best not to exceed 55C, according to the manufacturer.

Another company, Vattenfall, makes a heat pump that uses a different refrigerant, R744, or CO2. It can supply even higher temperatures, up to 85C. The company expects to install 300 in Europe this winter, mostly for housing associations.

And a spokesman for Daikin says that its Altherma heat pump, which uses R32 as a refrigerant, can reach 70C. The firm plans to launch a range of R290-based heat pumps in 2024.

Energy Systems Catapult

Independent non-profit Energy Systems Catapult has, since 2020, been testing 742 heat pumps, of varying models, across different housing types in England and Scotland. Daniel Logue, consultant, says that the R290 heat pumps included in the trial have performed well.

“When averaged over the course of a year, the R290 high-temperature heat pumps were performing significantly better than the R410A heat pumps, which is a refrigerant that’s being phased out now,” he explains.

These heat pumps were consistently able to achieve a coefficient of performance (COP) of around 3. That refers to the amount of heat energy produced, in kilowatt hours (kWh), for every kWh of electricity consumed. Based on current energy tariffs, for heat pumps to be competitive with gas boilers in terms of running costs, a COP of around 3 or higher is generally desirable.

Despite R290 allowing for improved efficiencies when supplying higher temperatures, you still get the best COPs when you run your central heating as low as possible, stresses Leah Robson, co-director of Your Energy Your Way, which installs heat pumps and solar panels among other technologies.

She adds that there are some limitations with R290-based heat pumps, such as the fact that they cannot be located near to air bricks or windows at ground level, to eliminate the risk of the liquid refrigerant, which is flammable, leaking into such areas.

Sue Beesley

Sue Beesley, a homeowner in Cheshire, had an R290 heat pump installed a few months ago. While not strictly necessary, she took the decision to change her radiators and keep flow temperatures to no more than 45C.

That means higher efficiency for her system overall. “What I’ve got now is a house with a very even temperature all the way through,” she says. The COP, in terms of her central heating, is staying near to 4, she adds.

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Heat pump performance is not really a significant barrier to adoption in the UK, suggests Mari Martiskainen, director of the Energy Demand Research Centre at University of Sussex Business School: “We have supply chain issues, we have skills issues.”

Around 72,000 heat pumps were installed in the UK last year – a far cry from the 600,000 per year target set by the government.

Mr Hendra, though, argues that a wider range of heat pumps and improved technology could entice more homeowners away from fossil fuel-based boilers. In his opinion, this is long overdue.

“We are appalling at heat pumps in the UK,” he says, pointing out that the UK was recently ranked 20th out of 21 European nations. “Which is truly embarrassing.”

Related Topics

Heat pumps

Technology of Business

Renewable energy

[thegloober]

The yoga retreat that replenishes your body AND mind

Looking for a yoga retreat that is about more than just relaxing? Louise Atkinson visits the French Loire Valley for a life changing experience

We all sign up for a retreat for our own reasons. Some of us feel the need to step off the stress conveyor belt for a few days, kick start a healthy eating or exercise regime, escape the husband and children, drop a few pounds, build a bit of muscle, or perhaps pick up new friends and positive lifestyle skills.

But when I booked in for five days in rural France I had one thing on my mind: handstands.

Nutritionist May Simpkin has a mission to provide a relaxed and inviting environment

I’m a late but extremely enthusiastic convert to yoga and, in my fifties, I’ve joined the growing band on a quest to achieve the latest yoga holy grail – a few seconds of blissful balance upside down.

Nutritionist May Simpkin has been running retreats at her delightful family chateau in the Loire Valley for the last four years, with a mission to provide a relaxed and inviting environment where guests can be infused with her healthy eating principles, enjoy her clever cooking, relax, but at the same time, be more active than they’ve probably ever been before.

A yoga retreat that is a ‘home from home’

A first glimpse of the itinerary reveals cooking workshops, talks on stress and self-sabotage, power-walks, cycling (to a vineyard!), massage or reflexology, and – to my delight – every day book-ended with an hour and a half of yoga.

It’s a short hop to Nantes from Gatwick and an hour and a half in a shared taxi to the quaint country town of Saumur, but some of my fellow guests arrived by car, having driven all the way in a similar amount of time (with enviable boot space to take local wine home with them).

We were allocated ensuite rooms in the chateau. Mine was HUGE with a delicious double bed, arty French furniture and a chez long – perfect for the introspection and pontification I had planned.

The place has an air of cosy faded grandeur – very ‘home from home’ (if you’re lucky enough for one of your homes to be a chateau).

May works closely with Jamie Blowers who specialises in actually teaching yoga teachers so I figured he must know his stuff. He practises a dynamic form of yoga called ‘rocket yoga’ which is a fast-moving blend of hand balances and tricky moves. If anyone was going to be able to nudge my handstand aspirations forwards, I was confident it would be him.

Yoga for all abilities

Our first session on the mat in May’s beautiful new yoga studio (freshly converted in time for our visit, we learned, from crumbling bike shed) revealed a VERY wide range of yogic abilities and I wondered how on earth Jamie would cope.

We were ten, including May who joined all our activities, marinating every minute of every day with her dietary knowledge, warmth and enthusiasm. Our ages ranged from mid-30s to 70 (a mother and daughter combi), our sizes from 8-18, and for all but three of us, this was the first time in a downward dog.

Completely undeterred, Jamie very cleverly coaxed and cajoled, teasing out stretches and holds from the most wary and inflexible, ending each session with deeply relaxing breathing exercises that left us starry-eyed and yawning.

It was great to be able to go right back to basics to strengthen my yoga foundations, and I soon realised I was probably that kid promoted rather too fast to the top set in maths who had been hanging on by the skin of my teeth (relying on quick-fix cheat moves I hadn’t even realised I’d adapted).

Amazingly no one skipped a single class and the novices progressed fast. As a treat, Jamie laid on a one-off ‘rocket’ class for two of us – thereby taking that day’s total to an unprecedented six hours on the mat – but it gave me the handstand tuition I had so desperately craved.

I was concerned I’d slide into hideous detox hives without coffee, tea or alcohol I needn’t have worried

If the yoga wasn’t exhausting enough, we were all hustled out before lunch each day for an invigorating power walk through the bucolic French countryside. Fellow retreater and exercise-specialist, Lucy Wyndham-Read got us all swinging our arms, wiggle-bottom walk-racing, with an impromptu programme of squats and lunges at every brief pit stop.

We were kept so busy I barely had time to squeeze in a little bit of late summer sun by pretty outdoor pool, let alone take out the books I’d brought with me.

The cuisine is often accidentally vegan

With so much activity I was concerned I might be hungry and that I’d slide into hideous detox hives without coffee, tea or alcohol. But with May in the kitchen I needn’t have worried. She might extol the virtues of herbal teas but there are Yorkshire tea bags by the kettle and proper plunge coffee at breakfast.

I have to confess the portions were considerably smaller than I’m used to and I finished the first meals thinking I could happily eat the same all over again, but to my surprise, I was never hungry.

May has a masters degree in personalised nutrition and is possibly the most knowledgeable food-expert I’ve ever met. She doesn’t believe in calorie-counting, but every meal was planned to precisely balance our nutritional needs. I clearly need less than I thought.

We were offered a fresh juice on waking each morning, breakfast after yoga, then a plant-based lunch, a healthy treat with afternoon tea (carrot cake, sweet potato brownies, frozen bananas with almond butter dipped in chocolate) and a three-course dinner – with dessert! – each evening.

We tucked into roasted aubergine and butternut squash salad with cashew wasabi dressing, Thai vegetable curry with rice, chickpea felafel, grilled peaches (picked from the chateau orchard) scattered with toasted pecans, and chocolate mousse.

Although May very modestly claims she’s ‘just a mum who cooks’ her plant-based cuisine (much of it accidentally vegan) is utterly delicious, and we were all inspired by her cooking demonstrations to expand our culinary horizons back home.

A yoga retreat to remember forever

With no wine in sight I didn’t miss my regular evening tipple as much as we feared, but we did all get ridiculously giggly on a thimble of wine on a trip to the vineyard and pounced as one on the celebratory fizz served with great ceremony before dinner on our last night.

Yes, I got my handstand practice, and, with Jamie shouting miniscule adjustments over the sound of my heart beating wildly in my ears, I got to hold the balance for seconds – far longer than I’d achieved before.

Someone took a mini video of me upside down in front of the yoga studio in the evening sunlight of our last day on retreat, and it’s an Instagram image I will treasure forever.

But that wasn’t the most enduring memory of my retreat. On smaller portions, endlessly active and without my usual wine calories, I felt distinctly stronger and leaner as we were driven back to the airport clutching our personalised ‘goodie bag’ of nutritious snacks for the journey home.

Every mealtime had been alive with laughter and health-based chatter as we swapped stories and experiences, learning about healthy eating from May, and about life from each other.

It turns out being on a retreat is less about temporarily cutting yourself off from toxic food, drink or influences and more about giving you a few days of space, potentially in which to grow.

I hadn’t expected the sense of camaraderie, the shared pooling of wisdom and encouragement and the sheer joy of spending time in an idyllic setting among strong, clever, kind women.

May Simpkin’s four day retreat at Chateau de la Vigne costs £995 or £795 each for two people sharing – all meals and activities included. EasyJet flights from Gatwick to Nantes cost from £25.

For more information see www.maysimpkin.com

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Source: https://bloghyped.com/the-yoga-retreat-that-replenishes-your-body-and-mind/

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