The casefor lowtemperatureheatingsystemsThe phasing out of natural gas as a fossil fuelThe generation of electricity within the U.K. is predominantlyby renewable means and this is set to increase. Generationfrom coal has as all but ceased. The remainder is largelysupplied by power stations fuelled by natural gas.Legislation removing the supply of fossil fuels to new dwellingsis expected to be in place in the near future. The removalof fossil fuels to existing dwellings (both commercial anddomestic) is expected to be published in 2025.The cost of Gas versus electricityThe cost of generating and supplying electricity compared to that of extracting gas fromreserves and supplying the national networks is significantly higher.Currently this means that the average domestic tariff for supplying electricity (toconsumers) is nearly four times that of natural gas.Therefore, the direct substitution of natural gas by renewably generated electricityappears unaffordable to most customers.How low carbon technology can mitigatethe additional cost of electricity to the consumerA heat pump operates by extracting the freely available energy from a source which meansvery little carbon is emitted into the natural environment.The source is usually surrounding air or the ground – both external to the dwelling. Energyextracted from the source reduces its temperature (surrounding air or within the ground)and that energy is passed into the dwelling as heat.To extract the freely available energy from the source the heat pump (machine) mustdo work. That work is performed by compressors and fans inside the heat pump (whichconsume electricity). The energy (electricity) consumed by the heat pump (work doneby the machine) is a fraction of that which is extracted (as heat) from the source (air orground).Typically, a heat pump will transfer three to four times the energy (heat) than that(electricity) which it consumes. This is known as the co-efficient of performance (COP).For example, a heat pump operating at a COP of 3 will transfer three times as much energythan it will consume.Ready for the future. Today.89
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