SPONSOR CPD PROGRAMME Continuing professional development (CPD) is the regular maintenance, improvement and broadening of your knowledge and skills, to maintain professional competence. It is a requirement of CIBSE and other professional bodies. This Journal CPD programme can be used to meet your CPD requirements. Study the module and answer the questions on the final page. Each successfully completed module is equivalent to 1.5 hours of CPD. Modules are also available at www.cibsejournal.com/cpd New generation heat pumps for high temperature commercial applications This module examines the latest generation of air source heat pumps that can deliver energy-efficient hot water at up to 90C This CPD will explore the drive to decarbonise the supply of heating and hot water in order to reduce the environmental impact of commercial end-user heating systems, and illustrate an example of the new generation of commercially available air source heat pump packages that can efficiently provide hot water at up to 90C. In 2019, the UK formally committed to becoming a net-zero contributor to global warming by 2050. Despite the recent dip in greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, there is no expectation that this downturn will continue, so the need for change is becoming more urgent. In the longer term, there is hope as discussed in the other CIBSE Journal CPD article this month that the electricity supply grid will be decarbonised and that there will be increased opportunities for a near zero-carbon hydrogen gas supply network. Dependent on the success of current trials, a UK hydrogen gas network would not be a reality for another 10 to 15 years. The UKs Clean Growth Strategy (published in 2017) envisaged that by 2030 there would be a 20% reduction in emissions below 2016 levels. The most recent data of annual 2019 UK emissions1 are estimated as 435.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) a figure that has already benefited from the demise of coal as a means of electricity generation (with just 2.1% of electricity derived from coal2 in 2019). The UK carbon budgets3 have set a legally binding maximum number of carbon units that can be produced by the UK across a series of five-year periods. The carbon budget for the 20282032 period is 1,725MtCO2e and, based on the most recent records of emissions, will require a reduction of more than 25% in annual emissions within the next nine years. And, since that carbon budget target was set, the UKs subsequent commitment to net zero by 2050 will mean that there is a need to reduce annual emissions by nearer 30%. So, aside from the environmental imperative, there is a strong legislative incentive to decarbonise the energy supply networks, reduce the end users demand for heat, and increase the efficiency of heating appliances. Estimates of the UK non-residential demand for energy, as shown in Figure 1, indicate the significance of the energy used for heating/cooling (red) and hot water (orange). The heating demands are met predominantly by natural gas-fired water heaters.4 Emissions from UK fossil-based heating systems and stoves were 85MtCO2e in 2015, or 17% of the UKs total emissions. Of this, non-residential buildings accounted for a quarter of direct emissions 13MtCO2e from commercial buildings and 9MtCO2e from public buildings.5 The typical life of heating appliances in commercial buildings is in the order of 15 years, so any changes to reduce the environmental impact need implementing now. Otherwise, building operators could be left with legacy systems for the life-cycle of the equipment or, worse still, possibly need to replace technically operational systems before the end of their economic life in order to meet more stringent environmental requirements. Alongside the drive to reduce carbon emissions, there are parallel demands to reduce the deleterious impacts on air quality from the local combustion of carboniferous fuels. This is reflected in several local development plans and notably in the London Environment Strategy6 that has set ambitious aims for London to be a net-zero carbon city by 2030 and to have the best air quality of any major city. It identifies air quality as the most pressing www.cibsejournal.com November 2020 85 CIBSE Nov 2020 pp85-88 CPD Mitsubishi 171.indd 85 23/10/2020 16:49