About the project
This Project (formerly known as Annex) will focus on heat pump solutions for multi-family houses in high-density cities. In response to the demand of the participating countries new buildings and retrofit will be considered, as well as buildings with higher specific heating demand.
62There is no doubt about the dramatic situation of climate change and the urgent need to act decisively by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Heating and cooling in buildings are major sources of CO2. A key solution is replacing fossil-fuel systems with heat pumps, already the leading choice in new single-family homes in Europe. This shift must accelerate and expand.
At the same time, there is an ongoing trend for a migration to high-density cities and, consequently, the significance of multi-family houses is on the rise. For multi-family buildings, heat pumps remain underused, despite successful examples. According to the IEA’s Net Zero by 2050 roadmap, half of global heating demand must be met by heat pumps by 2045. Achieving this requires urgent action, especially to find optimal solutions for new and existing multi-family buildings in urban areas. This is what Project 62 is adressing.
The challenges for deploying heat pump technologies and renewable energy in multi-family buildings are more complex than in single family buildings. The hurdles here are both administrative and technical. For example, the ownership of multi-family buildings: they can be owned by the local municipality, a housing association, various apartment owners, or simply one investor. These owners have different interests, and this often leads to decisions which are not optimal for climate protection. In addition, there are other challenges, such as logistical difficulties due to the large number of apartments affected, when renovation measures are to be carried out.
Despite these challanges, heat pump systems can be used successfully in multi-family buildings. Numerous examples from European and Asian countries in different climate zones and with different urban planning conditions make it evident. Therefore Project 62 is aiming to accelarate this transition.
Results from Annex 50 “Heat Pumps in Multi-Family Buildings for Space Heating and Domestic Hot Water (DHW)”
Contact Person
Mr Marek Miara, marek.miara@ise.fraunhofer.de