Eco Cute Flash News 2007-09-10

Ministry of Economy earmarks 12 billion Yen for CO2 heat pumps On 24 August, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced a rough estimate of its budget request regarding energy for FY 2008. According to Denki Shimbun, the installation of CO2 hot water heat pumps will be subsidized with Y12 billion (approx. €76 million) by the state. In line with the Ministry’s focus on promoting the most energy-saving technologies, all persons constructing a house using CO2 systems are eligible for a grant. 570,000 heat pumps produced in 2006 According to a research study by Fujikeizai, up to 570,000 hot water heat pumps were produced in 2006 with an estimated growth to 1,510,000 units in 2011. The rapid market expansion of EcoCute models is due to the promotion of all electric housing units by electric companies and increased efforts to tackle global warming. Although currently limited, the study estimates that the market for CO2 hot water heat pumps in Japan is expected to grow rapidly in the next years. Nihon Itomic / TEPCO to launch new Eco Cute models Itomic and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) have been jointly commercializing Eco Cute models for non-residential use since 2006, holding a 60% share of this market. In an interview with Denki Shimbun, Itomic’s Director Mr. Hirotaka Itou confirmed the development of new large capacity EcoCute models highly economical in size. With the new model range the companies hope to enter new markets. Eco Cute Fair attracts attention On 22-23 August, Tohoku-Electric Power Company held an EcoCute fair in Yamagata city, exhibiting CO2 heat pumps from seven companies and eight product groups. The event, which also included seminars on latest technical developments, attracted more than 200 visitors. According to Denpa Shimbun, Yamagata city had been chosen to receive state EcoCute subsidies since 80% of all refurbished housing in the prefecture used CO2 heat pumps, and a rising share of EcoCute could be found in new buildings. CRIEPI installs Eco Cute Assessment Testing Facility The Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI) has installed an EcoCute testing facility in the Yokosuka area near the Tokyo bay, according to Denki Shimbun. The facility, which will be able to assess all EcoCute features, is designed to test models under varying conditions and ambient temperatures to further improve the performance of hot water heat pumps.