Heat Pump All heat pumps work a bit like a refrigerator in reverse, transferring heat from one source to another.
Essentially the heat from a warm source is transferred to the heat pump by using loops of pipe or air units. This low grade heat is then used to boil refrigerant. The heat is then pressurised and the temperature goes up to 55-65 degrees when it can be used for heating your home or providing hot water.
An immersion is used to give a boost when hot water demand is high, but heat pumps can also be installed with solar water heating to provide a complete hot water and heating solution.
Heat pumps are an efficient means of providing heat to your home as they produce between 3 - 5 times the amount of renewable energy than the amount of electricity needed to power them.
Air source heat pumps Air source heat pumps extract heat from the outside air temperature with the help of an air handling system.
There are 3 types of air source heat pump systems:
1. Air to water heat pumps These create hot water using the heat from the air. This system can be used for underfloor heating, fan assisted radiators and in some cases standard radiators provided they are a sufficient size.
2. Air to air heat pumps These collect air, use it to boil refrigerant and then distribute it in a warm state to another place that needs heating.
Heat recovery . This does either of the above operations but collects warm air from an indoor space with too much heat (kitchens, lofts) and uses it to heat water or air. This kind of heat pump is also called a heating / cooling unit and works a bit like air conditioning.
Air to air heat pump systems . These require ducts or special units to blow the heated air into the place you need it.
Air source heat pumps are an exceptionally clean and efficient source of producing heating and hot water for domestic properties and commercial sites.
Air source heat pumps work by extracting readily available heat in the air and local environment through temperatures between -20�C and +35�C, which helps to reduce the dependency on fossil fuels as well as significantly cutting carbon emissions.
Air source heat pumps use electricity to operate and run the heat pump. For every 1kW of electricity used, between 3kW and 4kW of thermal energy is available for heating and hot water is available.
Our air source heat pumps have a life expectancy of over 20 years and are guaranteed for the first 5 years.
Features Uses the limitless supply of solar energy stored in the air High reliability and quiet running operations Fundamentally safe and can be sited both externally or internally Meets Building Regulations Part L and also carbon reduction requirements Part of the Government's Microgeneration Certificate Scheme Will qualify for the Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme that is due to start in October 2012 for domestic premises Benefits Can be used for cooling (in reverse mode), but primarily is used to provide both hot water and heating Unmatched life costs throughout the product's life as well as low operating costs to run Waste heat can be utilised for heating hot water by reversible heat pumps No safety issues as no gas or oil is used No fuel storage required so no unsightly tanks Only 5% VAT and grants available under Government schemes for renewable energy production Fast heating and cooling with forced air circulation High living comfort when teamed with underfloor heating How do air source heat pumps work? An air source heat pump extracts heat from the outside air in the same way that a fridge extracts heat from its inside. It can extract heat from the air even when the outside temperature is as low as minus 15� C.
Heat pumps have some impact on the environment as they need electricity to run, but the heat they extract from the ground, air, or water is constantly being renewed naturally.
There are two main types of air source heat pump system:
An air-to-water system distributes heat via your wet central heating system. Heat pumps work much more efficiently at a lower temperature than a standard boiler system would. So they are more suitable for underfloor heating systems or larger radiators, which give out heat at lower temperatures over longer periods of time.An air-to-air system produces warm air which is circulated by fans to heat your home. They are unlikely to provide you with hot water as well.Heat from the air is absorbed into a fluid which is pumped through a heat exchanger in the heat pump. Low grade heat is then extracted by the refrigeration system and, after passing through the heat pump compressor, is concentrated into a higher temperature useful heat capable of heating water for the heating and hot water circuits of the house.
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