Pressing the case for commercial heat pumps to be included in RHI

Daikin UK, heat pump, RHI
Pressing the case for commercial-scale air-to-water heat pumps to be included in the RHI, Daikin UK managing director Peter Verkempynck.

Peter Verkempynck, managing director of Daikin UK, has urged Energy & Climate Change Minister Greg Barker to include commercial-scale air-to-water heat pumps in the Renewable Heat Incentive as soon as possible. In a keynote speech to the Micropower Council’s summer reception at Portcullis House, he told Mr Barker that the Government’s current policy not to include such heat pumps in the RHI along with other renewable-heating systems was having a serious negative impact on the industry and created an unfair playing field.

Mr Verkempynck said, ‘This is really important and another missed opportunity. The commercial renewable-heating market is distorted and is developing much slower then everyone would prefer it to develop because other renewable heating technologies are in the RHI, yet this one isn’t. I have to, and I’m sure other makers also have to, stay away from contracts that would make economic sense were it not for the lack of RHI support. The policy framework today creates unfair competition, which is atypical for the usually entrepreneurial environment of the UK market.’

He urged the Minister to proceed with the inclusion of air-to-water heat pumps in the commercial RHI to the original timetable of October 2012. ‘This would mean that air-to-water heat pumps can compete fairly with other renewable technologies that are already included in the scheme — and may well lower the cost of delivering the RHI,’ he concluded.

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