How Are Heat Pumps in Ireland Used?

Heat pumps in Ireland are used for heating homes, swimming pools and leisure centres, hotels, offices, distilleries, industrial plants and much more. Heat pumps are an energy-efficient solution to heating for heating buildings using renewable energy. They take the majority of their energy from renewable sources such as the air, the ground or water converting energy from those sources. To function, heat pumps use a small amount of electricity that can be taken from a renewable source to ensure they have no carbon emissions. 

Air to Water heat pumps take the air from outside and use heat to create energy. This can work in temperatures as cold as -10ºc. The heat pump itself looks like an air source on the outside of your home. These are the most common in households as they are the easiest to install. 

A Ground to Water Heat Pump works a little differently and requires groundworks to install. A pipe or loop is placed underground to access the warmer ground temperature deep underground, and liquid is pumped through to collect the heat from the earth. This means the heat pump is drawing a consistent temperature even in the depths of winter making it extremely efficient. 

Water to Water heat pumps require a water source such as lakes or rivers or even seawater to take the energy from. Water source pumps are the most efficient but the least realistic for most homes. 

About Randles Hotels Switch To Heat Pumps In Ireland

Randles Hotel Killarney is in Killarney the hub of the Irish tourism sector with more hotels per square mile than any other part of the country. The owner Tom Randle is promoting the idea of sustainability in his own hotel and also to all members of the Irish Hotels Federation to begin the journey to renewables and create a more sustainable image for the Irish hospitality sector. 

Randles Hotel needed to upgrade their leisure centre heating and hot water systems. They wanted to replace their existing oil boiler systems with renewables. This involved MasterTherm working with Tim O’Leary of BSPM Energy Consultancy to design an advanced management system that MasterTherm optimised for the leisure centre. 

Leisure centres across Ireland changing their swimming pool heating source to a heat pump system could have a huge impact on any business’s energy use and fossil fuel consumption. We have online monitoring in place in Randles to figure out exactly how much of a difference it really makes. Their energy savings exceeded 70%. The entire plant room is future-proofed for the next 15-20 years. The installation of their heat pump did not require any work outside the plant room itself. This meant the installation caused minimal disruption to the hotel’s business. 

Their plant room is providing the heating and hot water for a 20-metre swimming pool constantly heated at 29 degrees celsius in addition to heating their changing rooms, showers and a number of hotel bedrooms. 

Who Is The Minister Approving Heat Pumps In Ireland

Minister Eamon Ryan is responsible for climate action and welcomes moves to promote and move Ireland and all the Irish economic sectors to renewables and away from fossil fuels. Minister Ryan is the leader of the Green party in Ireland and has been an advocate for renewables for his whole career. He recently visited the site where MasterTherm has installed a bespoke heating system for Randles hotel and expressed support for Randles’ mission for the installation of heat pumps in the hospitality sector of Ireland. This type of project represents the moves all sectors have to look at in order to assist the country in meeting its climate targets and commitments

What Changes Would We See If All Hospitality Made The Switch To Heat Pumps

Heat pumps in Ireland’s hospitality sector can bring many benefits. These include financial, sustainability benefits and overall comfort and ease of use for the business. As leisure centres are notorious for the energy they require to operate whether in use or not it is obviously an easy target for the use of heat pumps in Ireland. Good design and energy management systems will ensure maximum efficiency and MasterTherm are specialist in this sector.

Sustainable Travel

The future of hospitality will be eco tourism where the client will decide on a destination based on the eco credentials of the hotel or resort. Receiving a certificate of sustainable travel from the Sustainable Travel Ireland Association will make your business more appealing to an eco-conscious traveller. This will bring marketing opportunities and more business for a hotel. But what else can it bring? Having a sustainable business does not only refer to your carbon emissions. It also means happier employees, cost savings and ensuring your business can continue to function for the years to come. 

Cost Efficient

Installing a heat pump can be partially aided by grants supplied by SEAI which you can view in the below section. After the installation, heat pumps operate to maximize cost efficiencies and in fact they can save up to 80% on your monthly bills. It also protects you from rising energy prices that are showing no sign of abating. They run 24/7 with ultra quiet operations. Not having to pay large monthly bills for oil or gas to heat your leisure centre, rooms and water can save your business a substantial amount of money whilst operating efficiently .

Energy Efficient

Because heat pumps systems are designed to meet the demand exactly, they are very energy efficient. Burning harmful fossil fuels to heat large buildings and pools and water is wasteful and unnecessary. It is also causing natural disasters and devastation across the world such as wildfires from extreme temperatures and flooding across the world. It is important for businesses and large companies to be conscious of their carbon footprint and make sure they are making informed and eco-conscious decisions when it comes to heating their buildings. Heat pumps are a simple solution for the ongoing challenge. 

Cheaper, Easier Heating and Cooling

Yes, it is cheaper heating, but did you know heat pumps can be used for cooling too? You can get all of your heating and cooling from your heat pump, which can all be controlled from an app on your device. This app can also keep records and track your energy savings so you can see results. This provides a high level of energy management and comfortable operating temperatures that you cannot get from the traditional gas or oil boiler.

What Grants Are Available For Hospitality Heat Pumps In Ireland? 

SEAI is offering grants to support businesses in the transition from oil and gas to heat pumps. Although the grant does not cover the entire cost of the installation it can cover a substantial proportion. In a lot of cases, extensive upgrades are required in leisure centres so the spend is necessary anyway. This can mean the difference between being able to afford a cheap inefficient solution or a personalised heating system that will serve you and your clientele efficiently and comfortably for many years.

Why choose MasterTherm Heat Pumps?

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 maximize 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 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.

Mastertherm will design and tailor a personalised heating system to suit your 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.