Conserving Energy: Heat Pumps

Series

Series Name: Living Tomorrow

Issue

Issue No.

238

Length of issue (in feet)

524

Stories in this Issue:

Story

Story No. within this Issue

2 / 3

Summary

COI synopsis: Our resources of fossil fuels are dwindling fast, yet our demands for energy seem to be ever increasing: bigger, thirstier planes; greater quantities of fuel burnt just to keep us warm; and more and more fuel greedy cars. This programme looks at some new ideas for reducing our overall energy needs, in the air, in the home, and on the roads. Most domestic central heating systems rely on a boiler to provide the heat; but there’s a more efficient way of doing it. It’s called a heat pump, and works rather like the domestic fridge in reverse: by extracting heat from the cold air outside it can warm the air in the house. Yet fridges are powered by electricity and that in itself is inefficient. Now the development of the smallest turbo-compressor in the world has made possible the first gas or oil powered heat pump - more than three times as efficient as a boiler.

Keywords

Buildings and structures; Science and technology; Engineering; Energy resources; Design

Written sources

COI Microfilm Roll 55 [BFI National Archive] Used for synopsis

COI Reference

MI 1458/238

Credits:

Sponsor: Central Office of Information (COI)
Sponsor: Foreign & Commonwealth Office
Cutter: Fred Goodland

This series is held by:

Film Archive

Name: British Film Institute (BFI)
Email: For BFI National Archive enquiries:
nonfictioncurators@bfi.org.uk
For commercial/footage reuse enquiries:
footage.films@bfi.org.uk
Web: http://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web
Phone: 020 7255 1444
Fax: 020 7580 7503
Address: 21 Stephen Street
London W1T 1LN
Notes: The BFI National Archive also preserves the original nitrate film copies of British Movietone News, British Paramount News, Empire News Bulletin, Gaumont British News, Gaumont Graphic, Gaumont Sound News and Universal News (the World War II years are covered by the Imperial War Museum).
Series held: View all series held by British Film Institute (BFI)

Record Stats