Development, testing and quality assurance of heat pumps for individual heat plants

After the Danish Energy Authority officially closed their testing stations in 2001, the Danish Technological Institute chose to continue a voluntary system approval scheme for heat pumps. With backing from the heat pump industry, this scheme has been progressing extremely well over the last few years.

Today the scheme covers more than 100 heat pump plants split between 18 suppliers with more joining the scheme all the time. More than 15,000 heat pump plants are sold each year in Denmark.

When the Danish Technological Institute approves heat pump plants, the products are assessed according to their energy efficiency, how the systems are built up, choice of components, expected lifetime and documentation material including installation and user manuals. The Institute also produces accredited test reports.

In addition to the system approval scheme, the Danish Technological Institute also runs a ‘Quality assurance scheme for heat pump plants’ financed by the Danish Energy Authority. The scheme ensures that producers, suppliers and installers can obtain advice about technical problems. The same scheme also covers among other things participation in national and international standardisation work as well as providing support in cases of international approval of Danish products.

Since 1st October 2007 the installation branch of the industry also has the opportunity to draw on the Danish Technological Institute’s many years of experience in the field as the Danish Heat Pump Association (VPO) have again chosen to outsource their secretariat to the Institute. VPO is the installers’ quality assurance scheme and was started in 1994 with support from the Danish Energy Authority. The scheme numbers more than 100 fitters and many of the large suppliers in the Danish market require their plants to be installed by a VPO fitter.

Finally the Danish Technological Institute is responsible for the homepage www.varmepumpeinfo.dk, which is aimed at private energy consultants, energy companies and authorities.