Hydrogen’s role in a net zero future

With the government’s decision on the use of hydrogen for heating expected in 2026, Max Fordham’s Bill Watts discusses the options for decarbonising heating systems

Storage beater: compact energy stores

One barrier to heat pumps in smaller homes is the requirement for a large water cylinder to store hot water. Midsummer’s Jez Climas looks at how compact thermal-energy storage systems could solve the problem

Pump primer: heat pump installation

CIBSE’s new heat-pump installation guide aims to equip designers, installers and operators with the knowledge to successfully deliver the 300,000 annual installations needed by 2025. Arup’s Joshua Bird summarises AM16

A new era for heat: Queens Quay heat pump

A large-scale ammonia water source heat pump at the Queens Quay heat network in Glasgow promises to decarbonise heat for new and existing buildings. Vital Energi’s Lee Moran describes the scheme

Designing community heat pumps systems for heat networks

Over the past 18 months, heat pumps have replaced CHPs on heat networks, according to FairHeat’s Michael Ridge. The challenge now, he says, is to integrate the technology successfully, while still providing reliable and affordable heat for customers and residents

A marvel of science: Institute of Physics headquarters

The Institute of Physics’ innovative use of ground source heat pumps helped it secure the Commercial/Industrial Project of the Year accolade at the CIBSE Building Performance Awards. Andy Pearson reports

Bridging the gap: gas-fired absorption heat pumps in America

In the US, an abundance of cheap gas and a high carbon intensity for grid electricity compared with Europe is driving a move towards gas-fired heat pumps in small buildings. Tim Dwyer looks at three papers on the technology that were presented at the ASHRAE Winter Conference in Orlando