From 26–29 May 2026, Lara Stürenburg attended the Heat Pump Conference 2026 at the historic Hofburg in Vienna. The conference brought together researchers, industry representatives, and policymakers from around the world under the motto Decarbonisation through Innovation to discuss the latest developments in heat pump technology and its contribution to achieving global zero-carbon targets.
During the conference, Lara Stürenburg presented the work titled Study on human response to the cumulative impact of air source heat pump noise. The presentation focused on a large-scale listening experiment conducted at ten sites across seven European countries, involving more than 270 participants. This research is part of the international Annex 63 project Placement Impact on Heat Pump Acoustics. Within the task group Psychoacoustics of Heat Pumps, the aim is to better understand how the combined sound emissions of multiple air source heat pumps in residential back gardens influence human perception and annoyance.
Four other Annex 63 project partners also presented their research on heat pump acoustics. However, among the 367 contributions presented at the conference, this resulted in only five contributions focusing on acoustics and noise emissions of heat pumps. This highlights that acoustic aspects are still underrepresented in the broader heat pump research community. It is crucial to increase awareness of their noise emissions and their impact on both the environment and human perception. Greater consideration of acoustic aspects will be essential for the successful and sustainable integration of heat pumps into residential environments.
Beyond the scientific sessions, the conference provided a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas with experts working on heat pumps from various disciplines and countries. The policy forums particularly emphasised the central role of heat pumps in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reaching the climate goals of many nations. It was inspiring to see how innovation, engineering, and interdisciplinary research contribute together to making sustainable heating technologies more efficient, accepted, and environmentally compatible.
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- Lara during her conference presentation
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- Conference venue indoors
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- Lara in front of conference venue
