Are Heat Pumps Reaching Their Full Potential? Gemserv & Minviro Study Reveals Sustainability Insights

London, 9th September 2024 – New report by Gemserv and Minviro considers how the strong credentials of heat pumps can be upheld throughout their entire lifecycle by addressing emissions in manufacturing and material sourcing.

Heat pumps are being installed in homes across the country at a remarkable pace, with nearly 5,000 units being installed every month, according to data from MCS. This surge follows the Government’s £2,500 uplift in funding to help households switch to these low-carbon heating systems.

Heat pumps are widely recognised as a greener alternative to gas boilers, with a gas boiler producing 55% more emissions during use compared to a 10kw heat pump, according to Gemserv. While the transition to heat pumps marks significant progress towards reducing emissions, a critical question remains. Are heat pumps truly living up to their sustainable credentials from production to installation?

A new white paper by Gemserv, a Talan Company’s ESG team and Minviro reveals that there is further potential to enhance the sustainability of heat pumps – specifically within their manufacturing processes. The paper highlights that a current production process of a 10kw heat pump generates 640kg CO2 equivalent in embodied carbon emissions. Key contributors include the use of steel, the choice of refrigerants and tube insulation. While heat pumps are already a highly sustainable solution, focusing on greener manufacturing processes could further reduce their environmental impact which is at risk of being overlooked. It is crucial that there is a rigorous framework in place to limit the knock-on effects from the production process and avoid merely shifting the source of carbon emissions.

By switching to sustainable materials and adopting greener manufacturing processes, heat pump emissions could be reduced by almost half, down to 340kg of CO2 equivalent. This ensures that their strong sustainability credentials are upheld throughout their entire lifecycle, from production to installation.

Key Findings Include:

• Using sustainable sourced steel powered by renewable energy could reduce carbon emissions by up to 70%
• Insulation emissions could be cut by 50% by using recycled materials
• Further reductions can be achieved by transitioning manufacturing operations to renewable energy

The further considerations recommended by Gemserv and Minviro would not only strengthen the environmental benefits of heat pumps but also help manufacturers and installers comply with upcoming regulations. For example, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) both push for a circular, lower-impact economy, with LCAs invaluable in revealing hotspots necessary to achieve compliance. The paper also depicts how LCA insights can enable better-informed corporate sustainability decision-making and improve the bottom line for manufacturers.

The white paper spotlights four key areas for improving the sustainability of heat pumps:

• The significant role of steel production in driving heat pump emissions
• The hidden environmental costs of tube insulation in heat pump manufacturing
• The impact of on-site electricity consumption during manufacturing
• The need to carefully assess the environmental impact of refrigerants

By implementing these improvements, we can ensure heat pumps, which are already a low carbon heating solution, are made even more sustainable. This will allow households to enjoy low carbon heating while ensuring minimal environmental impact at every stage of the product’s lifecycle.

Waco Yokoyama, Sustainability and Circular Economy Consultant at Gemserv, commented:

The life cycle impact of the products we are using to achieve net zero emissions is just as important as the emissions produced by these products in operation. The choices manufacturers and installers make now are critical to ensure an energy transition that extensively reduces carbon emissions and addresses broader impacts on the environment.

It has been an honour to partner with Minviro to explore the alternative materials, production methods and practices that can be implemented to eradicate greenwashing, accelerate decarbonisation and support corporate regulatory compliance for heat pump manufacturers.

Jordan Lindsay, Research and Development Manager at Minviro, said:

There is no doubt that low carbon technologies like heat pumps are the right solution to replace fossil fuels. We are proud to have utilised our life cycle assessment (LCA) capabilities in this study to demonstrate how to maximise the sustainability benefits of heat pumps through reducing their embodied carbon in materials and refrigerant choice.

LCA provides a holistic overview of environmental impacts, serving as a reliable evidence base for manufacturers when identifying areas for improvement to prevent corner-cutting and to minimise the risk of creating new environmental or social issues when producing sustainable technologies.”

The whitepaper has been produced in collaboration between Gemserv and Minviro and is available here.