Heat pumps are becoming more and more popular as the technology is energy efficient and versatile as heat pumps can be used for heating as well as cooling. An important topic to further increase the acceptance of heat pumps is the reduction of acoustic emissions. For example, air-based systems have an outdoor unit which emits noise to the surroundings.
The main purpose of the IEA HPT Annex 51 (Acoustic Signatures of Heat Pumps) is to to put the focus on the acoustics emissions. For this, the legislation on emissions in different countries will be investigated. Furthermore, the main influencing factor on the acoustics of heat pump units will be investigated leading to improved components, units and control strategies including guidelines, as well as training and inputs to future standards. The Annex 51 is conducted by Austria, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, and Sweden.
The Annex 51 is is coordinated by the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT). The main work of the Acoustics Research Institute will be on Task 6 of the Annex 51 concerning the perception of heat pump noise. The work mainly comprises a multi-center psychoacoustic experiment where the perception of heat pump noise under different operating conditions will be investigated. This work is done in close cooperation with the AIT and the Research Institute of Sweden (RISE).
More detailed information about the Annex including reports can be seen under