What is the Climate Crisis
The climate crisis, also known as global warming, is a situation that can no longer be ignored. We first learned that our activities and carbon emissions were causing the earth’s temperature to rise in the 1930s. This is when the first signs became clear. In 1975 the phrase “global warming” was introduced to the world and all but ignored. In 2022 it has escalated to the point where we make a change or we perish. The earth’s temperature is rising and the icecaps are melting, but that’s not all of the effects this crisis has. Natural disasters such as flooding, wildfires, severe storms, increased drought, and rising sea levels threaten more and more countries each day. Because of this, we have animals that face extinction and depopulation of species, poverty and environmental refugees who have had their homes and land destroyed.
What is Causing The Climate Crisis
Since the industrial revolution began in 1750, humans’ effect on the environment has dramatically increased, and definitely not in a positive way. The main contributor to greenhouse gas emissions since that time has been the burning of toxic fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are used to run industry, factories and plants for manufacturing, water heating, home heating, cars and electricity. We use them in most aspects of our lives daily. It’s almost impossible to imagine a world without them. Hence why the climate crisis has escalated so badly. Because we lacked the means necessary to keep up our standard of living without fossil fuels the world’s population pretended it wasn’t real. Denial of its existence is common today and so we continue to pump harmful emissions from fossil fuels like coal, gas and oil into the atmosphere. When they are released, these toxic gases get trapped in the earth’s atmosphere as carbon dioxide. They then condense and act as a wall that traps the sun’s heat inside. Hence the term greenhouse gases. The earth’s atmosphere has literally turned into a spherical greenhouse.
Industries’ Effect on The Climate Crisis
In recent decades we have become increasingly materialistic. In fact, it is so easy and cheap to buy goods we have more gadgets and gizmos than we could possibly ever need. If you think you may need something, you go online and find one relatively inexpensively or you head into a shop at the drop of a hat and buy goods that may or may not be necessary for comfortable lifestyles. We have our liquor brewed and ready to go on shelves, cheap clothes in every size, keeping up with every fashion trend. It’s great if you don’t think about where it’s coming from.
Where is this stuff made? Factories feed consumerism. Industrial plants that use machines run by fossil fuels that are constantly pumping out carbon dioxide create these things that we buy are some of the leading polluters. This includes manufacturing, food retail, fashion and technology.
The EU has produced a plan to combat these emissions. Some emissions fall under the ETS (energy trading system). Each country receives tokens to say how much carbon emissions that sector is allowed in that country. The sectors that fall under ETS are large industries, electricity generators, and the aviation industry. ETS emissions since 2020 in Ireland have typically taken up 20% of our carbon emissions which was. Countries not participating in this system are still producing an unbelievable amount of CO2 emissions, such as China, America, India and Russia.
How Can Heat Pumps Help This Emergency
Not all hope is lost. We now have a way to produce heat, refrigerate, reduce energy consumption and lower carbon emissions by a substantial amount, all with heat pumps. Heat pumps are systems that work by taking heat from a renewable source like the air, the ground or water. They extract the heat from these sources and then convert it into energy which can then be used to warm or cool your building, heat your water and refrigerate.
For industry, recovery heat pumps are especially useful as they can recycle heat that would otherwise be wasted to turn it into more energy. For example, when you have a large refrigerator the heat is extracted from the air inside and pumped out into the open. With a heat pump, you can take that heat and convert it into more energy to be used for the refrigerator or for another use in your factory.
Heat pumps do use a small amount of electricity to run, but luckily there are multiple ways of using electricity without using fossil fuels now. A lot of Ireland’s electricity is generated by wind, hydro and solar electricity. All you need to do is check with your energy provider and see where they get their energy.
To keep up our standard of living, comfort and luxury while lowering our carbon emissions, Heat pumps are one of the most efficient solutions for heating and cooling.
Seai Grants For Green Energy
The Sustainable Energy Association of Ireland (seai.ie) is offering grants to companies wishing to make the change to renewable energy sources. Because heat pumps are energy efficient and are mostly powered by renewable resources they are included in these grants. The use of heat pumps in plants and factories could help reduce CO2 emissions and therefore help the climate crisis to lessen.
Seai is also offering grants for other additions to buildings that will make them more energy efficient. These included insulation, replacing windows and other contracting grants.
Why Mastertherm?
A MasterTherm heat pump can be an efficient way of repurposing heat energy that otherwise would have been wasted. This is particularly relevant for large commercial or industrial users. We have multiple examples of how we can work with clients to maximise their savings and deliver efficiency via their heating and hot water systems. This enables companies to move to a more sustainable and economical platform for the future operation of their business.
For residential customers, Mastertherm heat pumps offer the added bonus of being ultra-quiet. The full range offers a 7-year warranty giving the end user peace of mind. The efficiency of the range also leads to lower heating bills and the flexibility that the system can be controlled easily from a tablet or phone.
We will design and tailor a personalised heating system to suit your industry needs, whether it’s for a complex monitored heating and cooling system using rejected heat or a central heating system with the cooling requirements. Mastertherm will ensure that your business is getting the maximum benefit and efficiency from your heat pump system.
If you’re looking for a heating and hot water solution for a large complex building we may suggest multiple heat pumps working together. If you are unsure about how to start the journey to renewables using heat pumps. Contact us and we can discuss bespoke designs for your property.