Air Source Heat Pumps
We are working with customers with air source heat pumps (ASHPs) to better understand patterns of usage and load in real-world scenarios. With funding support from DECC we have installed over 375 air source heat pumps in customer homes, a small number of which are fitted with innovative thermal store technology. The thermal store technology is helping us trial direct control propositions which, if deployed on a large scale, could enable network operators to shed load during periods of peak demand.
Why are we doing this?
Air source heat pumps are an efficient and clean way of providing heating and hot water, delivering heat at low temperatures over longer periods of time. They are electricity intensive however, and as such, network operators need to fully understand and plan for the impact of this new potentially disruptive new load on local electricity networks, particularly in areas where they are installed in large numbers or clusters (social housing initiatives for example).
Key Facts and Figures
What have we learned so far?
We published datasets from our ASHP monitoring, time of use and direct control trials in August 2014, these can be accessed below. Further analysis is due for release thoughout the remainder of 2014.
Early insights reveal that heat pumps do provide a constant base load and that the anticipated problems with auxiliary heating in extreme cold conditions were not evident. The initial results on load shifting using direct control are encouraging, with shutdown periods of up to one hour without any cause for customer complaint or discomfort.
