Salford aims to facilitate the transition to low carbon domestic heating with new survey of heat pump engineers

With the work into heat pumps, the research aims to facilitate decarbonisation in the journey to Net Zero.

With the support of the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Domestic Building Services Panel (DBSP), Dr Simone Graetzer and Professor Antonio Torija Martinez of the Future Homes project are aiming to help to increase heat pump uptake in the UK through their work. Vital data will be collected from the ‘Future Homes CIBSE DBSP UK Air Source Heat Pump Engineer Noise Survey’ and shared with key stakeholders. In solving real-world issues, the research has potential to have a national impact.

The primary researcher, Dr Simone Graetzer, Senior Research Fellow, said: “The information we gather from on the ground engineers is indispensable to our research and will be used to guide it to where it is needed. It will help us to understand what the real-world noise issues are, where they occur and what the causes might be, help us to work with others to improve guidance for designers and installers, and help us to make recommendations to policy makers.”

Antonio Torija Martinez, who is Professor in Acoustic Engineering and Psychoacoustics at the University of Salford, said: "Heat pumps are central to decarbonising home heating and cooling, but noise pollution remains a barrier to widespread adoption. By gathering insight from this survey, we can pinpoint the main noise issues during commissioning and installation and work towards quieter solutions.”

The University’s involvement in the improvement of heat pump technology comes as Salford’s unique 60-year history with acoustics research and testing is being built upon with the announcement of a brand new world-class research and testing centre, due to be ready in 2027.