To prevent global warming, we must not only reduce energy consumption at the companies, offices, and factories that account for a large part of society's energy use; we must also reduce energy use in the home. Interior space heating and hot water supply represent key focus areas for making homes more energy efficient.

The average Japanese family uses very little energy for heating because of the relatively high temperatures in Japan. Still, interior space heating and hot water supply account for far more energy use than cooling. In Europe, the cold climate means that countries use much more energy for heating than Japan with interior space heating and hot water supply accounting for a large portion of the average family's energy use. In general, European heating is generated by the combustion method where fuel is burnt to warm water that is circulated around the home.

There is, however, a key to making the heating of interior space and water more energy efficient: it's called heat pump technology.

Heat pump technology is used for air-conditioning. In this technology, heat is drawn out of the outside air and brought inside to heat the room. Using this system for either heating interior space or water heating dramatically reduces CO₂ emissions compared to combustion methods in which oil or natural gas is burned directly. In Japan, for example, the CO₂ emissions are just half those generated by natural gas.

In 1996, the EU set a target of keeping the average rise in worldwide temperature by 2010 to no more than 2°C above that before the Industrial Revolution and has been considering and enacting a variety of measures. One of the most important of these is to make household heating and hot water supply more energy efficient.

It is to this end that the Daikin Group is working to promote the use of heat pump heaters and hot water heaters.

"Altherma" Heat Pump for Hot Water Heating Systems Matches the Climate and Needs of Europe