Heat Pumps

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All heat pumps work a bit like a refridgerator 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.

Ground source heat pumps

Ground source heat pumps work by absorbing the heat from the sun which is stored in the earth between 1m and 2m deep. A system of flexible pipes are buried underground and fluid pumped around them to absorb and carry the heat from the ground into your house.

Ground source heat pumps are only suitable for homes with underfloor heating.

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 sifficient 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.

3. Water source heat pumps

Water source heat pumps work by using a system of flexible pipes to carry the heat stored in water into your home. Warmth is transferred from the water into your home via a fluid running through the pipes which absorbs the heat.