Created under the fingers of outstanding Kronoterm engineers, the ADAPT heat pump has been recognized by the German institution BAFA as the most energy efficient out of the 1176 heat pumps tested.
European Union directives have been striving to reduce consumption of energy and to prevent energy loss for years. With the term “energy efficiency” we first think about the reduction of energy consumption. However, when talking about energy efficiency not only reduction of energy consumption is of great importance but also the energy source used. To improve energy efficiency, the average European can do himself and the environment a great favour by switching from fossil energy to electricity, especially when heating residential buildings.
Heat pumps offer great potential for increasing the share of renewable energy in total heating energy consumption, and their use is therefore strongly supported by the EU.
Although heat pumps are already considered as energy efficient, they still differ in their efficiency levels. Unfortunately, the results in determining the degree of efficiency are not always comparable, since many performance tests neglect various factors, such as temperature and weather. The BAFA list is extremely accurate in this regard, since heat pumps must be exposed to four different temperature conditions during testing in order to be put on the list. Accordingly, the difference in efficiency between individual heat pumps is much better demonstrated under four different temperature conditions rather than under only one temperature condition.
Use of sustainable resources is the future.
BAFA has published an independent Performance Data Sheet (list) of currently 1,176 different heat pumps from across Europe, based on performance certificates issued by accredited contractors. The types of heat pumps that are included in the list are: air/water, exhaust air/water, brine/water, geothermal and many others. The Kronoterm ADAPT heat pump has been classified in the range of air/water pumps under four different temperature conditions: at -7, 2, 7 and 10 °C air and a flow temperature of 35 °C. This means that it was tested how much kW the heat pump needs at different ambient air temperatures to be able to heat the water to 35 °C. Based on this, a coefficient of performance (COP), which measures the efficiency of the heat pump, is calculated for each temperature value. The determination of the efficiency of heat pumps in Europe is standardized according to EN 14511 standard. The standard defines the conditions under which heat pumps are tested and, consequently, their COP values are determined. The standard specifies specific test points for measuring efficiency with respect to the temperature of the inlet source of energy (such as outside air, exhaust air, gas, ground or surface water, ground heat, etc. – in our case outside air) and the converted output heating source (in our case water).
In any case, when buying heat pumps, the COP value is extremely important because it predicts the efficiency for the future user – the higher the coefficient of performance, the more efficient the operation. Even more useful is the seasonal coefficient of performance (SCOP), which represents the energy efficiency of the heat pump throughout the year. And in both cases, the Kronoterm ADAPT heat pump proved to be incomparable – the annual SCOP value reached 5.2.
This SCOP value means that ADAPT generates 5.2 kW of heating power throughout the year, or throughout the season, with the input of 1 kW of energy. Despite four temperature conditions, no other heat pump on the BAFA list has outperformed this efficiency. The Austrian funding office (WPA – der Verband Wärmepumpe Austria) has given a full subsidy to our ADAPT heat pump, as one of the few, because of its energy efficiency.
External unit of the ADAPT heat pump
ADAPT heat pump excels at superior technology, performance and efficiency. With the latter, we have proven to be the best in Europe on the BAFA list. A key element for energy efficiency is, among other things, the smart intelligence of the ADAPT heat pump – based on the knowledge gained, the heat pump will adapt to the weather forecast and at the same time to the needs of the user and of the building. Operating volume is the most common disadvantage of heat pumps and we have exceeded all limits in this respect as well. ADAPT is one of the quietest heat pumps on the market since it basically makes no sound – its operation is even quieter than that of a computer. In terms of flexibility, we also didn’t forget about the heat pumps’ appearance. Due to the special design and diverse choice of colours and materials of the external unit’s housing, you will not have to hide the heat pump. When designing, we had users in mind, and therefore adaptability to the individual is our main advantage.
External unit of the ADAPT heat pump, which blends in with the surroundings