A Heat Pump Combines Heating & Air Conditioning All In One Unit.
There are multiple fuel options for heat pumps – gas, electric, and dual-fuel. Heat pumps pull heat out of the outside air to heat your home and reverse the process when cooling your home. Heat pumps are great for areas that have a mild climate.
It was over 30 years ago when Sanyo incorporated heat pump technology in the late 70s.
Air-to-water heat pumps are a descendant of this technology, but instead of air-to-air transfer, heat is transferred into the water. Air-to-water units are now becoming a viable option for the home, commercial heating and domestic hot water. You’ll find the leading manufacturers showing their latest air-to-water heat pump systems at renewable exhibitions.
These tried and tested air source pumps have been installed frequently over the past decade and are very low maintenance.
A box-style unit is mounted on the outside of the building. It collects the heat from the outside ambient air into a heat exchanger coil at the rear of the external unit, where a fan passes over the air to transfer heat into the system.
Air heat pumps use a refrigerant gas such as R407C, R32, R410a and R134a; these gases have a low boiling point, -48.ºc in the case of R410a, which is transformed into a superheated via the compressor.
A DC inverter is an electronic circuit that converts a source of direct current (DC) from one voltage level to another, in this case, low to high. You’ll find that most compressors used in air heat pumps are DC inverter driven. They also run coefficient of performance (COPs), meaning they operate at 4 x the initial input power making them highly energy efficient.
Compared to ground-source heat pumps, air heat pumps are slightly less efficient because ground-source retain around 10ºc from their underground pipes.
The plus side of air-to-water versus ground-source is the installation and space requirements.
The practicalities of fitting air-to-water heat pumps make them the most popular choice, as they only require a small space on a wall outside. In contrast, the ground-based system requires underground piping making it more suited to a renovation project or new build with some land.
Frequently Asked Questions
The primary use of air sources is home heating and swimming pool heating for those without access to a mains gas supply. They operate on minimum power consumption, so they don’t require a significant power source and will not use your entire electrical supply.
All that is required is an electrical source and one of our installation technicians to take care of the fitting, plumbing and refrigeration aspects.
This is a compact, simple and efficient method for heating your home.
Heat pumps can’t be beaten as an economical heat source (air is free!). But you will need a backup heating system when it is freezing or below. If you have a lot of freezing days in your area, then there are better options than a heat pump. However, an investment in a heat pump can help you save money on heating costs and lets you heat with renewable electricity.
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