At the 2014 Gustav Lorentzen conference in Hangzhou, China, a comparative study was presented examining the applicability of five single stage vapour compression heat pumps (VCHP) using the refrigerants R134a, R290, R717LP, R717HP and R744. The study considers operational and economic constraints such as refrigeration equipment availability and positive Net Present Value of Investment. It concludes that the LP R717, HP R717 and transcritical R744 heat pumps are advantageous when considering the