TNO and Kiwa to draw up test protocol for heat pump systems

This will make an important contribution to accelerating the sustainability transition by making it easier for installers and consumers to gain a better understanding of the optimal installation of heat pumps and what they deliver in terms of heat and savings.

TNO and Kiwa are teaming up to provide insights into the performance of heat pump systems by measuring their actual performance in different configurations. The aim of this so-called dynamic test protocol is to improve the quality and affordability of innovative, sustainable installation systems. Research, lab testing, and the development and review of the test protocols will be taking place from early next year at the TNO Heat Pump Application Centre (HPAC).

Need for acceleration

The parties are working together within the framework of the Team Duurzaam Installeren (TDI) 500 project. Within this project, installation companies, the Team Duurzaam Installeren foundation, and TNO are collaborating with the aim of ensuring that in three years’ time, 500 additional (hybrid) heat pumps will be installed every day. Heat pumps have a vital role to play in making the built environment more sustainable. The Dutch government’s Accelerating Sustainability in the Built Environment policy programme aims to have one million (hybrid) heat pumps installed in existing buildings by 2030.

Clear, independent assessment

Machteld de Kroon, Managing Director of TNO Mobility & Built Environment, says that a dynamic test protocol offers considerable added value when it comes to scaling up heat pump systems in the Netherlands. 'Consumers investing in a sustainable heating system want to know whether it will perform as it should, and installers want to deliver installations that customers are satisfied with. Thanks to this collaboration between TNO and Kiwa, we can provide consumers and industry with a clear, independent assessment of new technologies and their expected performance.’

Transparency and confidence

Ronald Karel, Managing Director at Kiwa, agrees. ‘By safeguarding the quality of all steps in the process, from the survey through to the commissioning of the heat pump system, performance can be guaranteed for the end user. These systems can then really start contributing to the reduction in CO₂, even if, sometimes, when they are first commissioned, they do not appear to live up to prior expectations. As a lot of measurements and checks are already carried out, our aim is to develop, with as little additional effort as possible, a reliable and transparent test protocol that can provide this guarantee.’