Mitsubishi Electric reveals heat pump compatibility with microbore pipework

Mitsubishi Electric, manufacturer of the UK’s award-winning Ecodan heat pumps, has published a new white paper revealing that air source heat pumps can now be integrated with microbore pipework, commonly found in new homes built from the 1970s and 1980s.

This will reduce the retrofit cost of installing a heat pump and make it more attractive for homeowners to move away from fossil fuel burning boilers.

As the UK pushes towards its legally binding net zero target by 2050, one of the greatest challenges is to decarbonise home heating by moving away from gas boilers. Currently, more than 80% of UK households rely on gas, making the shift to renewable heating technologies, such as heat pumps, a critical part of the solution to reach net zero.

However, concerns about retrofitting costs and misinformation about heat pump technology have slowed progress towards the government’s target of installing 600,000 heat pumps annually.

The white paper, ‘The Mitsubishi Electric Guide to Residential Air Source Heat Pumps and Microbore Pipework’, challenges the long-held belief that microbore pipework is incompatible with a heat pump. The papers proves that the transition to renewable heating can be more accessible for homeowners by reducing disruptive and costly retrofits.

Joanna Crown, Mitsubishi Electric’s Product Marketing Manager (pictured above), explains: “Tackling the climate crisis means we need to make low-carbon heating accessible to homeowners. With up to 5 million UK homes fitted withDl microbore pipework, we’re pleased to demonstrate through our research that modern heat pumps can be effectively paired with these existing systems, saving on both installation costs and disruption.”

Delta-T

Microbore pipework, characterised by pipes with a diameter of less than 15mm, became popular in the 1970s and 1980s due to its affordability and ease of installation. Traditionally, these systems were considered incompatible with heat pumps, which operate at lower temperatures and smaller Delta-T (ΔT – the difference between water flow and return temperatures).

However, Mitsubishi Electric’s research shows that with the correct design and calculations, Ecodan heat pumps can be successfully retrofitted to homes with microbore pipework.

Key findings in the white paper include recommendations for installers, outlining how to match existing heating system operating conditions with the performance of the heat pump. The white paper also highlights a case study from an installer who successfully retrofitted a heat pump with microbore pipework, emphasising the importance of proper design and calculations to ensure cost-effective and efficient installations.

Joanna Crown adds: “With UK and Scottish governments grants, i.e. the Boiler Upgrade Scheme of £7,500 and the Home Energy Scotland grant of £7,500 to £9,000, many homeowners are ready to embrace heat pump technology, but the prospect of retrofitting pipes and radiators has been a hurdle. This white paper shows that, in many cases, the transition can be smooth and affordable.”

Mitsubishi Electric’s white paper offers practical guidance for installers and homeowners looking to make the switch to heat pumps without replacing their entire heating systems. By addressing the retrofit challenge head-on, Mitsubishi Electric is helping to accelerate the UK’s journey toward a sustainable, low-carbon future.

For more information and to download the full white paper, visit Mitsubishi Electric Microbore Whitepaper – Document Library – Mitsubishi Electric.

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