The Malta Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energies Association has welcomed the government’s decision to subsidise householders’ installation of water heat pumps, which will contribute to meeting Malta’s obligatory EU renewable energy target for 2020.

READ: Water heat pumps to be subsidised by 40%

It, however, called calls on the government to extend this scheme to other entities such as restaurants, sports complexes and other high consumers of hot water.

"While heat pumps’ potential for reducing electricity bills is considerable they also result in reducing carbon dioxide emissions," the association said. 

These systems are the second best alternative for heating potable water, after solar heating panels. In their case, the energy absorbed in the water tank comes from the surrounding air. The compressor and therefore the electricity consumed by the system only serves to move this heat from the renewable source to the water tank.

Heat pumps’ energy consumption is much lower than that of a traditional electric
resistance boiler (geyser).