Experts Champion Heat Pumps at Recent International Energy Agency Conference

By Consulting Specifying Engineer Staff July 28, 2005

According to experts at the recent International Energy Agency International Heat Pump Conference held in Las Vegas May 30 to June 2, heat pumps—refrigeration devices

Dr. Hermann Halozan of the Technical University of Graz, Austria, and president of the International Institute of Refrigeration Heat Pump Commission, in a keynote talk at the conference emphasized that heat pumps are a key technology for energy conservation and CO 2 emission reduction.

Mark Menzer, vice President of the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute, headquartered in Arlington, Va., noted that U.S. shipments of heat pumps should reach close to 2 million units in 2005 and that sales of these products have been steadily increasing as concerns for energy-efficient heating and cooling products have grown in recent years.

Dr. Monica Axell, head of the International Energy Agency Heat Pump Centre, located in Boras, Sweden, reported that sales of heat pumps in Europe are growing rapidly, driven by increasing costs of fossil fuels and electricity, and a growing demand for air conditioning.Sales of heat pumps in France, according to Dr. Axell, have grown ten-fold since 1997 and substantial sales are being realized in Norway, Sweden and other European countries.

Mr. Takeshi Yoshii, director of the Heat Pump and Thermal Storage Technology Center of Japan, stated that the largest market in the world for heat pumps is in Asia-Oceania where more than 16 million heat pumps are sold each year, most of which also provide space cooling for improving productivity and comfort in hot and humid climates.

The recent IEA Heat Pump Conference, eighth in a series of triennial conferences sponsored by the IEA Heat Pump Programme, attracted 250 attendees from more than 20 countries. Experts from research institutions, government, energy companies and manufacturers provided oral and poster presentations at the conference, which also included technical tours to heat pump research and housing applications in the Las Vegas area.The conference also featured presentation of the first International Heat Pump Awards to four individuals and one research team for significant contributions to international heat pump market development, applications or technology advancement.

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