Mitsubishi Electric starts production of low carbon Ecodan residential heating system at its Livingston manufacturing facility in Scotland

(01/09/2009)

Mitsubishi Electric's Ecodan is a modern air source heat pump that can provide all the heating and hot water a home needs. It uses advanced inverter-driven technology taken from the air conditioning industry, to deliver efficiency levels that are 200% greater than a gas condensing boiler. Ecodan harvests renewable energy from the surrounding air so that for every 1kW of electricity it consumes, 3kW or more of heating energy is supplied.

Mitsubishi Electric has announced that it is starting production of its low carbon Ecodan® residential heating system at its manufacturing facility in Livingston, Scotland.

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson welcomed the announcement saying: "As part of our commitment to developing a sustainable, low carbon economy we are working with UK businesses to promote the UK as the destination of choice for low carbon investment. Together with Mitsubishi Electric we can offer our knowledge, technology and experience to bring about incremental and sizeable reductions in carbon emissions."

The Mitsubishi Electric Air Conditioning Systems Europe Ltd (M-ACE) production facility on the Houston Industrial Estate was custom-built by the company in 1994 and currently employs 420 staff.

M-ACE has manufactured air conditioning units for the company’s global market and will adapt a production line to produce 3,000 Ecodan units a year for both the UK and Europe, scaling up production levels to meet the expected increase in demand as the popularity of air source heat pumps increases.

“Although Ecodan is not an air conditioning unit, it shares much of the technology with our current Mr Slim models which are made in Livingston, so we are able to switch production with relative ease,” explained Yoshinori Miyata, Corporate Officer and General Manager, Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Systems Division of Mitsubishi Electric. “We will be looking to increase production to 10,000 units a year as demand increases.”

Mitsubishi Electric has invested in new testing facilities at the Livingston plant to show the heating and hot water system working down to outdoor temperatures of minus 30ºC. Manufacturing will begin in the middle of September and the company is hoping to recruit more staff later in the year to cope with expected growth in sales of Ecodan, which has been designed specifically to match the UK’s climate.

Ecodan can help lower a home’s CO2 emissions by up to 50% and reduce running costs by at least 30% over modern gas boilers. Savings are even greater over older gas boilers, oil, LPG and direct electric heating systems.

“Since launching Ecodan just over a year ago, we have been delighted with the level of interest from installation professionals, housebuilders, housing associations and end users,” commented John Kellett, General Manager of the company’s Heating Department. Mitsubishi Electric now has over 270 Approved Ecodan Installers throughout the UK and has exceeded sales targets for its first year.

“As more people realise how much air source heat pumps can help lower both running costs and energy use, we expect to see the uptake increase significantly,” added Kellett. “We are also hopeful that once the housing market starts to move again, Ecodan will play a major part in both the new-built and refurbishment sectors.”

Ecodan, is accredited under the Government’s Microgeneration Scheme, making it eligible for a £900 installation grant

Related categories:  Energy Conservation   Heat pumps   Organisational changes   Residential applications