News
Ingenious engineering
Heat pumps are undeniably one of the pillars of decarbonisation, vital to banishing fossil fuels from homes and businesses across the globe. However, just when sales should be heating up in the bid to hit net zero goals, we’ve seen various factors, along with economic and political uncertainty, impact on consumer confidence, leading to a slowdown in installations.
Despite these testing times, manufacturers are rising to the challenge, with ever more ingenious ways to banish installation concerns and regain consumer faith. One such manufacturer is HEIWA FRANCE. We spoke to Vincent Jacquelin, Products & Innovations Manager, about the company’s recent win at the ‘Innovation Awards of Le Mondial du Bâtiment!’ and their certified Hyoko 2 and Zen 3 heat pump ranges.
Hi Vincent, thank you for talking to us today. Before we get onto discussing your products, can you tell us a little bit about your background?
Vincent: “I’ve been working for Heiwa since 2019, nearly at the birth of the brand. I joined the team to take charge of product development and to innovate in launching products that will help our customers to make their job easier. Before, I had my own company and I also spent seven years as HVAC Market Manager at Sonepar.”
Congratulations on your award at the Innovation Awards of Le Mondial du Bâtiment!
Can you tell us why you entered the awards, and a little about the category you qualified for?
Vincent: “We decided to enter the award under the residential HVAC category because we deeply believe that our innovation could really change the life of our installers and change user opinion about heat pump efficiency.”
Heat pumps can get a bad press when installations don’t meet user expectations. Can you tell us what problems your winning product solved?
Vincent: “To be clear the weakness of a heat pump installation is not the heat pump. Most of the heat pumps on the market, like our Heiwa Hyoko Max, are good products with good performances and reliability. No, the weak point of an installation is all the accessories that have to be installed after the heat pump, and the balance between the primary circuit managed by the heat pump and the secondary circuit. Our product is a solution to this major weakness of an installation.”
Sounds interesting, can you tell us about your winning product and how it can aid in the installation of heat pumps?
Vincent: “I developed our innovation, iQube, based on my field experience visiting installations, discussing with installers and with my hydraulic knowledge. The issues were so obvious that I launched the project with one main target, changing the habits of the installer so that when they install a heat pump, they will install an iQube.
iQube is a fully insulated, smart and compact accessory, that will replace all the other accessories that the installer previously had to buy and install separately, but with the added benefit of embedded intelligence. Of course, all security accessories such as filter, mud pot, disconnector, safety valves, purges, shutting valves are built in.
Additionally, there are also all functional accessories included to make an installation work well, like a 50L buffer tank, 1 or 2 PWM pump (depending on the chosen reference, 1 or 2 zones), mixing 3 way valves on 2 zones, and directional valve. But that is not all. We integrated sensors so that iQube is able to know the water pressure of the installation, the flow rate of each circuit, and all the inlet and outlet temperatures for each circuit. Associate all this information with the integrated PCB and now iQube is able to precisely manage a real decoupling and guarantee to the user the real comfort they expect from their heat pump.
Indeed, the iQube can undertake constant DT or constat water flow regulation (depending on the installer setting). This is something that is impossible to manage in a classical installation with classical accessories because, first, inverter heat pumps have variable flow and then, heating circuit charges are always changing depending on the shutting of thermostatic valves.
All the features of the iQube make it RGE compliant. For that, the installer only has to link the heat pump and heating circuits to the iQube, answer the different questions through the display. And that’s it.
Then, the idea is that the installation doesn’t have to cost more using iQube than using classical accessories for the installer and the end user. So, price is also part of the innovation for sure.”
Ingenious! What do you think caught the judge’s eye about your product? And why did it win so many public votes?
Vincent: “I discussed this with some of the judge’s after the award ceremony and the main point that convinced these professionals of the HVAC market to vote for iQube, is that this accessible product is the only one on the market that can fulfil all hydraulic principals to ensure an installation works well. Our product seduced the judges because it is the right answer to the major weak points of heat pump installations.”
Demonstrating innovation and showcasing quality is obviously important to your company. How does product certification help you help increase customer confidence in your products?
Vincent: “Certification is a major point of our strategy to give our installers confidence in our developments. It is also important for us for prescription. Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s any Eurovent product family yet for our innovation, iQube. But we are working with some labs to make it certified as a real efficient tool for heat pump installations.”
What made Heiwa choose to certify the Hyoko 2 and Zen 3 ranges under the Eurovent Certified Performance mark?
Vincent: “Heiwa decided to certify both the Hyoko 2 and Zen 3 ranges under the Eurovent Certified Performance mark to ensure that our products meet high industry standards for performance, efficiency, and reliability.
The Eurovent certification is a key indicator of quality in the HVAC industry, providing end-users and professionals with a guarantee that these products have been independently tested and verified for their claimed energy efficiency and overall performance. This not only builds trust with our customers but also aligns with Heiwa’s commitment to transparency, eco-responsibility, and innovation.”
What sets the Hyoko 2 and Zen 3 ranges apart in terms of efficiency and performance?
Vincent: “Both the Hyoko 2 and Zen 3 ranges stand out in terms of efficiency and performance, especially in residential settings.
The Hyoko 2 model offers top-tier energy efficiency, with a SEER rating of up to 8.5 and an energy label of A+++. It also includes advanced features like artificial intelligence for optimising energy consumption, even under challenging conditions, such as maintaining performance in temperatures as low as -7°C. The model also includes innovative air purification technology (Cold Plasma and UV-C), making it a powerful solution not just for comfort, but also for indoor air quality.
The Zen 3 is designed for simplicity and efficiency, offering a more affordable solution while still maintaining strong energy efficiency with a SEER rating up to 6.1. It delivers reliable comfort with straightforward control, making it a go-to for professionals seeking both efficiency and ease of installation.
Both models reflect Heiwa’s dedication to combining high performance with innovative and eco-friendly features.”
What other value does product certification bring to your company?
Vincent: “It clearly brings us legitimacy. Like I said, Heiwa is a young brand that is growing fast, winning market share. Being certified is thus mandatory to bring confidence and promote our brand image.”
What three words best describe product certification to you?
Vincent: “Legitimacy, Confidence, Long term relationship.”
Thank you for your time Vincent, and congratulations once again on the win.
Want to find out more? Next view Heiwa’s range of certified products or explore our certification programmes.