04 December 2024
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Swedish heat pump manufacturer Qvantum has officially introduced its UK business, with invited guests attending the launch event at its new headquarters in Moorgate, London.
Its ambition is to heat the cities of Europe using affordable renewable technology, alongside a commitment to generating positive change in electricity grid balancing.
Qvantum UK CEO Phil Ord said: “We believe our unique heat pump solutions genuinely bring something new to the UK and can provide the impetus to redirect the way we consume energy to service the needs of the domestic heating and hot water market.
“Until recently, we were 100% dependent on coal, gas, and nuclear for our energy generation. We now have a significant, and growing, renewable contribution which has many obvious advantages but is less predictable.
“A big part of the challenge is to harvest and store renewable energy when it is plentiful, often in excess of what we actually need, and use it when demand increases above the generating capacity of the grid. We are here to help shift that peak.’’
Integrated thermal store
The business model has seen it invest heavily in technical and aftersales support personnel before product development, ensuring that the pain points of the heat pump and energy sectors have been identified before deciding how to address them and with what products. A modular design concept means that 80% of components are shared across the product line, including the unique integrated QH water tank featured in all three ranges, which is used as a thermal store and charged like a battery.
These thermal batteries have a capacity of up to 12kWh and enable all Qvantum heat pumps to shift energy consumption for heating and hot water away from peak periods, easing the load on electricity grids and reducing environmental impact through time of use (ToU) shifting, in addition to considerable running cost saving for the property owner.
The thermal stores can be heated to high temperatures by the heat pump or an integrated immersion heater, consuming electricity when it is cheaper, in abundance, or produced during low carbon intensity. Hot water is produced indirectly via a plate heat exchanger using energy from the thermal store, so the need for a legionella pasteurisation cycle is removed. A property’s heating system can be served directly from the heat pump compressor module at any time or from the thermal store for peak load saving, or a mixture of both.
The range of solutions includes exhaust air heat pumps capable of providing heating, instantaneous domestic hot water, and ventilation; a water-to-water, geothermal or ambient loop apartment heat pump and a compact pre-plumbed hydro units used in conjunction with an R290 (propane) monobloc air source unit.
Smart grid control
FLEXREADY® is an open API that enables third-party cloud-based control solutions to integrate with Qvantum’s product line-up. It is currently used to interrogate and monitor systems remotely connected via Wi-Fi, but when used more widely it will enable energy providers to charge hundreds of thousands of thermal stores on demand when the production of electricity outweighs its consumption. This will reduce the amount of time renewable energy generation is dormant because of grid capacity and lessen the reliance on fossil fuels to generate electricity during peak periods, simultaneously reducing the home’s running costs and carbon emissions.
Modular support
The products are backed by manufacturer-supported national service coverage from over 130 engineers. The products are installed and commissioned using dedicated apps that provide step-by-step guidance, data logging, installation and user manual access, and system registration. A service app is accessible for system monitoring with actual operating data displayed alongside system schematics for easy understanding. The Q-support remote monitoring service offers live data viewing and logs historical data, so service engineers can review it before attending the site, reducing first-fix repair times.
The modular product concept means that engineers can carry a reduced number of parts, knowing that 80% are interchangeable throughout the range. In addition, engineers who do not hold refrigerant-related qualifications can remove compressor modules by disconnecting hydronic connections only.
Training is provided in-house with an online platform as well as face-to-face at the business's dedicated training room at its Moorgate offices.
Guests at the launch were able to explore the training facilities and product line-up, following presentations from Phil Ord and UK colleagues Darren Manley (Technical Sales Director) and Geoff Turton (Aftersales Technical Director). Further background was provided by Thomas Nowak, former Secretary General of the European Heat Pump Association, who is now Qvantum’s VP of Government Relations and Public Affairs.
