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| Heat pumps are once more in demand NürnbergMesse has made heat pumps one of the key themes at Chillventa, that takes place for the first time from 15-17 October 2008 in Nuremberg: International Trade Fair for Refrigeration, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Heat Pumps. The German Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Society DKV has already organized a symposium this year – also in the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg – on the subject of "Possibilities and limits of heat pumps in existing private and commercial buildings". 200 participants from eleven countries were interested in the presentations given by the 24 international speakers from well-known companies and institutions. The sales figures for heat pumps for room heating have more than doubled in Germany from 2005 to 2006, France has registered 50 % growth, Austria 45 %, Switzerland about 30 % and Sweden 20 %. Such growth rates are naturally encouraging. They do, however, carry the risk that quality will suffer, as the pressure of competition between the manufacturers is great and plant assemblers need suitable expertise. Peter Hubacher, "heat pump doctor" at the Fördergemeinschaft Wärmepumpen Schweiz (FWS) and the link between end customers, plant assemblers and manufacturers, warns: "Every system associated with bad experiences has a negative effect on the market. For example, more pumps can hardly be sold in a single-family house already fitted with a heat pump that causes problems." This is exactly what happened during the oil crisis in the seventies. The demand for heat pumps exploded, but the market was not prepared for this boom. The result: This technology's image was quickly ruined due to defective installation and quality problems. This will not happen this time. The industry is better prepared and the tradesmen are better trained. Nevertheless, the exchange of views and knowledge transfer between all concerned from end consumer and plant assembler to manufacturer are essential requirements if the heat pump is to remain successful in the future. NürnbergMesse is supported by organizations such as the Federal Guild of German Refrigeration Plant Assemblers (BIV) in Bonn. This is no accident, as the heat pump has enormous potential that is far from developed, especially for refrigeration technicians. This is because a majority of the heat pumps are currently installed by sanitary engineering and heating experts, as heat pumps are primarily used for heating or water heating – at least in Northern Europe. The refrigeration technician's know-how is nevertheless required, especially where direct vaporization heat pumps are concerned, as the plant assembler must intervene directly in the refrigeration cycle. Another factor is the growing demand for reversible pumps, which can also be used for cooling in the summer. The close connection with refrigeration equipment is also obvious here. write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Construction News :: home page |