By now everyone that visits our website and our customers should know what a boiler is, but do you know what an air source heat pump is?
What is a air source heat pump?
An air source heat pump is very much like an air conditioning system but the other way round. The technology used inside the heat pump is actually very similar to that of a fridge. They absorb heat from the outside air to heat your home using radiators, underfloor heating and air.
Air source heat pumps can deliver heat and hot water to your property. They extract heat from the outside air, which can then be used to heat your home. It can extract heat even if the air temperature is -20° C.
Having a heat pump installed is a great way to heat your home VS a boiler, why? when compared to a boiler, an air source heat pump can deliver a higher-ranking efficiency rate. Using your heat pump to heat your home via underfloor heating. It allows for a more even spread of heat in your home rather than in one location as a radiator does.
Can I use an air conditioning system to heat my home?
Yes.
Most modern air conditioning systems use heat pumps which means they are capable of heating your home. Domestic air conditioning systems are becoming very popular and the reason for this due to their financial and environmental benefits.
Air source heat pumps have low running costs and are a great way to heat your home, heat pumps use of electricity, so for every 1KW of energy used, they can produce 4KW of heat.
A heat pump is capable of operating at 400 or even 500% efficiency, meaning that 1 unit of electricity creates 5 units of heat.
Is an air source heat pump right for you?
A heat pump compressor unit needs to be placed outside of your home, it also needs plenty of space around it. If you don’t have a lot of space then a heat pump may not be a good choice.
An air source heat pump has long lifespans, twice that of a boiler and are more eco-friendly. They are super-efficient and are fantastic in the summer and winter. Heat pumps can also be even more environmentally friendly is powered by solar energy, you can talk to our friends at ST Electrical Northampton Ltd if you’re interested in solar power.
Heat pump that need to be repaired – Who is going to repair when they break down?
So your heat pump has stopped working, so you get on Google and find yourself a Refrigeration engineer. The engineer arrives at your home and looks at your heat pump and says, sorry sir/madam, unfortunately, your heat pump/compressor has failed, you need a new system.
Northampton heat pump repairs engineers will repair/fix your heat pump when most engineers won’t have a clue, instead, fobbing you off with “you need a new system” We have witnessed this many times over, a lot of refrigeration engineers won’t want to touch an air source heat pump when they breakdown.
A lot of refrigeration engineers will only want to touch/repair the refrigeration side and that is it. So when your heat pump does break and its a switch or a relay they have no idea what to do. Your next call should be us at THS HVAC & Air Conditioning Company Northampton.
Which types of heat pump are available?
The most common type of heat pump that we install and in fact the most commonly used in the UK are air-to-air heat pumps. There are 3 main types of heat pumps one is air-to-air which we just cover in this article and there is another called ground source heat pump.
A ground source heat pump is more efficient than air source heat pumps, much quieter and more reliable. The installation of the ground source heat pumps can be very costly due to long runs of plastic tubing that needs to be inserted around your home.
The ground source heat pumps are super eco friendly and can reduce energy needs by up to 60%. Water source heat pump is another which requires your property to be local to a water source such as a lake, river or a well, which in Northampton, we don’t see very often. We shall cover the types of heats pumps in another post.
Interested in air source heat pumps for your home?
If an air source heat pump will benefit your home and you’re interested or have any questions, please do visit our THS HVAC Northampton website or you can call us on 01604 212732.