At Energy House Labs, we’ve completed a new study that looks at whether heat pumps can meet the hot water demands of a typical UK household — even under challenging conditions.
With gas boilers being phased out as part of the UK’s low-carbon transition, there has been concern about whether heat pumps can provide sufficient hot water for daily use. Our latest research, conducted at Energy House 2.0, provides evidence that they can.
Over a 16-month period, we tested two air source heat pumps in eHome2 — a concept home developed with Barratt Developments, Redrow, and Saint-Gobain UK & Ireland. This is the first time heat pump hot water performance has been assessed under both cold and warm climate conditions in a controlled environment.
Our findings show that heat pumps are capable of delivering hot water in line with British Standards, even during periods of high demand, such as multiple showers and baths. Under typical winter conditions, the systems achieved efficiency levels above 180%.
“Hot water provision was always the missing piece of the puzzle,” said Professor Richard Fitton. “It was reassuring to see that under typical winter conditions, delivered efficiency was over 180%, and hot water demands were being met.”
Professor Lubo Jankovic, who led the testing, said: “We based our tests on a British Standard that simulates high daily hot water use. Both systems delivered consistent performance throughout each test day.”
This research is part of our broader work at Energy House Labs to better understand how low-carbon technologies can meet the real-world needs of UK households. Future studies will look at dynamic energy pricing, solar PV integration, battery storage, and system performance under more extreme temperature and humidity conditions.
The full report is available to read: Hot Water Performance of Heat Pumps – Energy House 2.0 Study