From data provided by BRE testing (the UK's leading centre for independent advice for the built environment) and from case study analysis running costs can be reduced over a conventional gas boiler by approximately 35%. These saving are achieved using standard tariff electricity.

Carbon footprint is a measure of carbon emissions based on energy consumption per kWhr and fuel type used i.e., direct electric/oil/lpg/gas or electric heat pump. The Ecodan can save approximately 45% of the average yearly CO₂ based on a gas fired boiler, and even more on coal, oil and direct electric.

Because Ecodan’s output efficiencies are in the seasonal order of 3 to 3.5 (i.e. 300% to 350%), the actual amount of electrical energy consumed from the national grid is dramatically reduced. So even taking in to account the reduced CO2/kW for gas (0.19) against CO2/kW for electricity (0.43) Ecodan emits far less CO₂ than even the highest efficiency condensing gas boiler.

The 8.5kW Ecodan has recently been approved by BRE Global under the MCS scheme and the 5kW and 14kW units to follow shortly. In order to qualify for grant funding please be aware of the requirement to be registered as an MCS installer.

The MCS will underpin BERR's grant scheme, the Low Carbon Buildings Programme, and grants will be available to applicants using both products and installers certified under MCS or equivalent schemes. Other initiatives, such as the proposed stamp duty land tax relief for new zero carbon homes, are also likely to use MCS in the future.

For details on how to apply for MCS accreditation please see www.greenbooklive.com

For details on how the homeowner can apply for a grant, please see www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk/how

You will experience a gentler more consistent heat within the room. Not like the pulses of high temperature we currently experience having oversized radiators and boilers. The central and radiator controls work in exactly the same way.

Firstly, air source heat pump technology is not new, it’s been around for many years, is well understood and we only need look towards the Scandinavian countries to see it can be adopted on a large scale and work in significantly harsher conditions than we experience within the UK.  Secondly, we already have a trained skilled plumbing work force who, with the minimum amount of additional training, have all the skill sets to design, apply, install and maintain this technology. Thirdly, the manufacturing capability already exists to up scale very quickly to meet any potential increase in demand.

Yes, Ecodan works at temperatures as low as -20ºC, which is highly unlikely in the UK. The Ecodan system is designed to operate at the optimum efficiency level at any time of year. Its technology will automatically regulate the system so that it never uses more energy than needed at any given time, making it one of the most energy efficient ways to heat a home and provide hot water.

The heat loss of your home needs to be calculated to ensure that Ecodan will give sufficient space heating. As a guide a modern house has a heat loss of approximately 50W/m².  So Ecodan would be able to heat a home up to 180m² (based on a 9kW output). Careful consideration with older buildings needs to be taken, the heat loss of these homes can be much higher than in modern well insulated properties.

New build properties will have the radiators correctly sized for Ecodan. For retrofit applications in newer homes existing radiators are likely to be of suitable size and performance to cope with the lower flow temperatures provided from Ecodan. In older homes with older radiators this may not be the case. In all installations Mitsubishi Electric would recommend checking design of all radiators. Before installing Ecodan - additional or larger new radiators may be required. A radiator design sizing tool is available from Mitsubishi Electric.

Low surface temperature radiators are not needed. These radiators work with conventional high temperature systems and the low surface temperature is a safety feature to prevent burns.

Traditional radiators work with on-off bursts of heat to maintain the desired room temperature. Ecodan is different because it supplies water to the radiators at a lower, but constant temperature. The temperature of a home can still be set using a normal thermostat, but the heating will be constant and more controlled - which also costs less money.

Although Ecodan is a reverse cycle heat pump the current package is not designed for cooling applications. Refrigerant based fan coils can not be attached to the system as all the refrigerant is contained in a sealed system similar to the set up found in a fridge.

There is no noticeable difference in the supply of hot water - Ecodan can supply water up to 60ºC.

Heating water according to the latest Part L1A and B (section 8 of Domestic Heating Compliance Guide 2006).

Efficiency of Ecodan increases the lower the water temperature and the higher the ambient temperature.  Typically Ecodan supplies water to radiators at 45oC and underfloor heating systems at 35oC.  Further increases in efficiency are achieved by varying the water temperature in relation to the ambient air temperature. For sanitary hot water Ecodan supplies water at 53oC.  Ecodan is unique as it allows you to set different water temperatures for heating and sanitary hot water.

WRAS (Water Regulation Advisory Scheme) guidelines state that hot water needs to be stored above 60oC and distributed at no less than 55oC to prevent microbial growth (legionella). However, in recommendations it states that hot water should be distributed less than 50oC to avoid risk of scolding. Under G18.5 of the Water Regulations, terminal fittings or communal showers should be supplied through thermostatic mixing valves so water temperatures do not exceed 43oC.                                                      
                 
Ecodan has built in controls to perform the prevention of microbial growth (legionella) by weekly boosting the water temperature to over 60oC to sanitise the system, therefore water can be stored at lower temperatures for maximum efficiency.

Ecodan needs to be bought and installed by an Approved Ecodan Installer with the right qualifications.  Mitsubishi Electric can provide you with details of your nearest installer.

Many house builders are installing Ecodan in new homes. If you have an older property, Ecodan is straightforward to fit and one of our Approved Ecodan Installers will take 1 to 2 days to install and set it up. Unless the property is over 30 years old, the existing radiators can potentially be used. Our specially trained installers will give all the advice needed.

The following items are crucial for a satisfactory installation and your Approved Ecodan Installer should be aware of these.

Unit Location
Pipe work Insulation
Anti Vibration Mounts
Anti Vibration Connections (flexible hose, supplied loose)
Consideration in retrofit situations
Frost Protection of system
Condensate removal

See Install manual for full description of these points

Always use an Approved Ecodan Installer – for your nearest approved Ecodan installer please go to ‘Find and Approved Ecodan Installer’ page.

Installation costs vary from property to property, but as a guide costs will be similar to that of a conventional gas boiler.  A competent installer should take 1 – 2 days to install and set up the Ecodan system.  For new build, as no gas supply is required, costs are actually cheaper.

Ecodan is approximately 950mm tall by 950mm wide and has a depth of 330mm.  Sufficient ventilation space is required at the front of the unit (1m) and at the back of the unit (250mm).

There is no need to have a gas or oil fired boiler in an Ecodan installation.

Yes all outdoor units of this type require planning permission.

The UK has already started to see air source heat pump being imported from across the world with greater volumes coming from Japan and China. Mitsubishi Electric are looking at moving the production of the air source heat pump to their factory at Livingston, Scotland.

Ecodan has a three year warranty provided it is installed, commissioned and maintained by an Approved Ecodan Installer.

Since the Ecodan refrigerant circuit is a sealed system it can be treated in the same way as a fridge and would be accepted by local authority for refrigerant removal and disposal. Currently there are no costs are associated with this.

The packaged Ecodan comes as a factory sealed unit (similar to the domestic fridge) and hence requires very little long term attention. We suggest that there is a yearly clean up of any build up of leaves or debris from behind the unit and that the coil is washed annually also.

Ecodan does not need an annual service by a refrigeration engineer.  However an annual service by an Approved Ecodan Installer to carry out a visual inspection, ensure that the heat exchanger is clean and the power terminal blocks are tight every 12 months is required.

As Ecodan is a sealed system (like a fridge) and does not require any refrigerant pipe work it is therefore exempt from the F gas regulations.

Unless the property has been specifically designed to incorporate a heat pump in the loft space we would not recommend this type of installation. A heat pump in heating mode will generate large volumes of very cold air.  This could affect the temperature of any enclosed space (unless the heat pump is completely ducted to outside).  In addition heat pumps do generate a small amount of vibration. Unless very carefully designed the inclusion of a heat pump in a loft space could cause occupant disturbance.  Provision for condensate removal would also have to be made.

Ecodan can provide 9kW of heating load.  As it has been designed for the domestic market single phase power is suitable.

Ecodan has an inverter driven compressor, this means the system will accurately match the heating load by ramping up or down in small steps as required, with reduced stop/start and no power surges which are found in non inverter driven systems. The benefits are a very low start up current of 5amps and low running currents.

Ecodan monitors the actual leaving water temperature and has a given set point temperature according to the ambient temperature. The larger the variation between these two temperatures, the higher the compressor speed.

A heat pump is a refrigerant based system, (like your refrigerator at home). The system can absorb low grade heat from the air (air source), water (water source) or ground (ground source), and raise its temperature efficiently to be suitable for space heating and/or hot water. Ecodan is an air source heat pump system and can provide water temperature up to 60oC (without backup electric heater) in ambient temperatures as low as -10oC.

Some heat pumps make more noise than others. Older technology such as those with fixed speed compressors are relatively noisy compared to the new generation of inverter driven heat pumps. Ecodan is market leading and has a noise rating of 49dBA at 1m at full capacity which is very quiet. Many other heat pumps have a noise level of 3dBA more than Ecodan, this may not sound much but as sound is measured on a logarithmic scale 3dBA is double the noise level.

Air source heat pumps are now supplied by an increasing number of manufacturers and come in a variety of sizes, have different capabilities and are of variable quality. Therefore there is a wide range of prices. A high quality, efficient replacement package for a traditional boiler system should be expected to cost £1500 to £5000. As air source heat pumps become increasingly commoditised, it can be expected that these figures will decrease.

Air source heat pumps are a suitable complete or partial solution for the majority of existing houses as well as new builds. Most properties that can achieve a reasonable level of thermal insulation could be suitable for an air source heat pump. In order to achieve the highest levels of efficiencies, all properties should have been updated with the basic thermal improvements i.e. cavity wall installation, loft insulation and double glazing.  The air source heat pump then needs to be able to meet the maximum heat demand of the property under its maximum (coldest) conditions.

Yes, you just need to ensure that the air source heat pump is sized to meet the maximum heat load conditions for the property. Also to meet a varying space heating load we would also recommend that only a variable output air source heat pump be considered.

Yes, with suitable control systems, air source heat pumps can be operated to act in either a lead or support mode with any other fossil or renewable heating technology.

Within the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act (Sources of Energy and Technologies), yes. Here air source heat pumps are defined as a microgeneration technology. However, there is still debate as to whether air source heat pumps can be truly classed as a renewable technology if the primary power (the electricity) does not come from a renewable source.

Because of the energy conversion efficiencies within an air source heat pump, the running costs against the other main gas, oil or direct electric heating systems are significantly reduced. 

To fit an air source heat pump requires normal domestic plumbing skills; hence we already have the trained labour force and infrastructure to support this technology.

We are still waiting for the Government (despite confirmation even from the Prime Minster that all relevant decisions have been made) to publish the noise thresholds required for air source heat pumps within the General Permitted Development Order.

Ground source heat pumps draw on the absorbed energy stored in the earth whereas air source heat pump collects thermal energy within the air which is renewed daily by the sun.

It is loosely estimated that air source heat pump market will be 3000 units for 2008 but that this will significantly increase year on year.

Air source heat pump technology directly benefits from developments within the air conditioning (air to air) industry. Efficiencies within air to air have dramatically (3 fold) improved within the last three/four years. 

As the UK introduces more renewable electrical generating technologies (i.e. nuclear and wind) to meet its 2020 renewable obligations, the amount of CO₂ emitted for every kilowatt of energy produced will reduce, which in turn will reduce the carbon emissions attributed to the air source heat pump operation making it even more favourable against other traditional heating systems.

Air source heat pump have been used as a heating technology for over twenty years. Within Sweden 98% of all new build properties are fitted with heat pumps, either ground source or air source.

Domestic heating oil price in the UK makes the installation of an air source heat pump commercially compelling, even taking into account the premium you have to pay for this low-volume technology. Another point worth considering is that significant numbers of those in fuel poverty live in off-gas grid locations, hence their status, and the widespread adoption of this technology would significantly help in this area. Also, because of the low carbon emissions nature of this technology homes, having to meet higher levels of the CfSH are also particularly well suited.