CO2 as a Refrigerant in Heat Pumps Heat pumps use CO2 as a refrigerant to efficiently warm or cool homes. CO2's properties make it more efficient than other refrigerants, especially for heating water. It is being used in both domestic and large-scale heat pump systems.
"Smart Pod" and Thermal Battery Optimization "Harvest Thermal" has developed a smart management system called the "smart pod" that optimizes the performance of CO2 heat pumps. By storing excess heat energy in a water tank during off-peak hours, it can be used later to warm air or provide hot water, resulting in significant cost savings.
Advantages of CO2 as a Coolant Water is an excellent coolant, and if it's good enough for a nuclear reactor or gaming rig, then it's good enough for CO2. CO2 is cheap, non-toxic, odorless, and not harmful to the ozone layer. While leaks can happen with any refrigerant including CO2, the amount of CO2 used in heat pumps is marginal and less harmful than other refrigerants.
CO2 Heat Pumps vs Standard Heat Pumps "Transcritical" or "super critical" properties make CO2 ideal for moving heat around in a heat pump due to its high specific heat and ability to conduct heat well. However, this also means that more advanced compressors are required which makes them slightly less efficient compared to standard pumps. The efficiency depends on various factors such as gas/electric prices and building characteristics.