Stephen CrownAug 11, 2023

"UK electricity networks need to rapidly sort heat pump standards" by @richardlowes

#HeatPump #ASHP #Electrician #IET

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/uk-electricity-networks-need-rapidly-sort-heat-pump-standards-lowes

UK electricity networks need to rapidly sort heat pump standards

The job of an electricity network is to enable the use of electricity in places and buildings. As we move to a decarbonised world, enabling electrification of heating and transport is the key job of the UK’s privately owned, and Ofgem regulated, electricity networks.

Show threadStephen GentleAug 13, 2023
@Stephencrown @richardlowes I’m not familiar with the UK network, but surely if possible the best solution is to upgrade the service to 3-phase? Both for EV charging and loads like large heat pumps - e.g. a 7kW EV charger is 30 amps on a single phase, but an 11kW 3-phase charger is 16 amps per phase.
Show threadStephen Crown

@stephengentle @richardlowes it would be (if starting from scratch like a new build), but that is likely unnecessary for most, and also someone will have to pay for a new connection from the road to the property (all electricity bill payers, individual customers getting the upgrade or general taxation)

Unfortunately, most domestic residential properties in the U.K. only have 1 of the 3 phases in the road laid underground to the property for some historic reason I’m unaware of.

Aug 13, 2023 at 11:20amWeb
Show threadStephen GentleAug 13, 2023
@Stephencrown @richardlowes Yeah, existing properties only have a single phase here by default too but upgrading seems to be getting a lot more common now. Especially since utilities here in Australia usually only allow 5 kW of solar feed-in per phase, so going to three phase you can have a system three times bigger.
Show threadStephen CrownAug 13, 2023
@stephengentle @richardlowes interesting. Who pays for the upgrade there? Is is normally quite involved (as I would expect it would be in the U.K.)?
Show threadStephen GentleAug 13, 2023
@Stephencrown @richardlowes The customer does, yeah, it’s new wires pulled in (a lot are aerial here but also a decent number underground), meter swap, then you’d have to have the all the breakers re-wired to spread them over the phases. Reports say it costs about $5000 for a regular residential property (rural can be a very different story in general, it can be cheaper to just go off grid)