Difference between Heat Pumps and Diesel or Gas Fired Boilers

In years gone by heating sources for large volume Commercial/Industrial Water Heaters have mainly been in the form of diesel or gas fired boilers.   These systems have always been afflicted with some disadvantages such as heating inefficiencies and the rising cost and the vulnerability of supply in some cases for these fuel types.  In addition there has also been a need to duplicate these systems with stand-by units to ensure continuous operation in the event of a breakdown or maintenance requirements.   The heating inefficiencies are caused – because only a low percentage of the gross energy that is produced from “burning” the diesel or gas, is actually transferred to the water or other fluid that is being heated.   This percentage of energy input can be between around 75% for new systems down to as low as under 50% for older systems.  The main cause of energy inefficiency in diesel or gas fired systems is that a good proportion of the heat that is generated through the burning process of these fuel sources is dissipated into the atmosphere through the flue pipe or chimney.   Further inefficiencies (up to an additional 30% reduction) can be experienced if the diesel or gas fired systems (in a Hotel for example) are required to heat the water to steam (100ºC) and then that steam is directed to a calorifer type storage tank to produce potable water at 60ºC for circulation to the various fixture points.    
In most cases when a diesel or gas fired boiler is initially installed it has to be duplicated with at least one additional identical system as a stand-by unit that will be able to handle the full hot water load requirement when the primary system requires repair or maintenance.   During these repair or maintenance periods the complete diesel or gas fired system is totally shut down and cannot contribute in any way to the heating requirements of the project; therefore the need for a stand-by unit.   However, the larger Commercial/Industrial Heat Pump products that are now available are normally fitted with multiple Heat Pump modules in the one unit that are digitally controlled in such a way that they can operate individually or together at any given time.   Provided the Heat Pump daily run cycle design is done correctly for each project there is usually no requirement to include any stand-by units thereby contributing positively to the reduction in capital cost and subsequently having a positive effect on the ROI equation.   The design of the system is critical in order to maximize the daily run cycle and at the same time keeping the daily run cycle at a suitable operational percentage that will allow the system to still contribute effectively even if one of the Heat Pump modules is isolated for service or maintenance at any time.  The non requirement of stand-by units for the Heat Pump alternative also reduces the amount of occupied floor space required in the building to house the heating systems.
Finally, a Heat Pump solution also provides a positive effect on the operating cost due to the energy efficiency of its design.   Whilst diesel or gas fired boilers produce a negative Coefficient of Performance (COP) because of the various heat losses that are experienced during their operation, a Heat Pump will actually produce a positive COP that provides a heating output in the form of hot water of somewhere between 360% to 400% more than the energy that is actually consumed by the system depending upon regional ambient and humidity weather conditions.   Heat Pumps are also capable of operating effectively in most areas of the World during the daytime, night time, or rainy and cloudy periods.  
By
Mel Peatey