Meet the hot water heat pump from Mitsubishi Electric

Making ourselves more sustainable and reducing our primary CO2 emissions is the challenge facing many sectors. In the hotel industry, it is no different. Mitsubishi Electric has a transcritical heat pump on offer to supply buildings with domestic hot water. Ideal for different types of hotel.

By 2050, our buildings should be CO2 neutral. One way to achieve this is by taking a different approach to heating sanitary water in residential care centres, collective housing, sports infrastructures and certainly in hotels. Rudy Gielen is manager of Corporate Sales at Mitsubishi Electric and travels the country advising hotels, property developers, architects, etc. "Any place where large amounts of sanitary water are consumed benefits from choosing a heat pump for hot water," says Rudy. "The one from Mitsubishi Electric works with the natural refrigerant CO2 (GWP = 1) and at an output of 40 kilowatts. Moreover, you place up to sixteen units in cascade. This heat pump perfectly handles large temperature differences and delivers hot water up to 90 degrees Celsius, even when it is -25 degrees Celsius outside. The low noise level of 56 decibels is also nice in a hotel context."

A reformed energy landscape is one where renewable energy is generated and deployed at the right times. Similarly, hot water should be available at off-peak and peak times. "Our heat pump allows us to buffer that energy at times when cheap renewable energy is available, to accommodate the peaks in hotels in the morning and evening. Those are usually times when higher energy tariffs apply. With a heat pump and smart monitoring, you feel those price fluctuations less," Rudy explains. "We prefer to make simulations based on the data in the hotel."

If your hotel is a business hotel during the week, your peak in the morning will be between 6:30 and 8 am. On weekends, families book earlier and you have a bigger spread of your consumption between 7am and 10am. The hot water buffer tank acts as a thermal battery tuned to your internal building management systems. So you play dynamically with temperature and it is possible, at higher occupancies or low energy prices, to raise the temperature from 70 to 80 degrees Celsius, for example. Then more energy is stored to meet higher demand.

The hot water heat pump is a monobloc unit where all the refrigeration issues are shielded and a connection is made to the plumbing vessel. "Not many manufacturers have a transcritical heat pump in their range. Mitsubishi Electric is playing a pioneering role in this field. We carefully develop every component in-house, from the drawing board to production and assembly. It is a highly technical and hydraulically complex product that can handle large temperature differences. It is applicable for all kinds of hotels."

Unlike an air-to-water heat pump for heating that only needs to heat in winter, this heat pump for hot water works 365 days a year. The average source temperature is therefore much higher than a heat pump for heating in winter. This makes air as an energy source for domestic hot water just as interesting, as it increases efficiency. "With a transcritical heat pump, we take a step in the right, sustainable direction and you emit 50 to 60 per cent less CO2," Rudy adds. "From Mitsubishi Electric, we assist our customers with advice to ensure correct installation and use."