Air Source Heat Pumps

An air source heat pump is a domestic heating and hot water system. It is a flexible and cost effective alternative to a fossil fuel boiler and it is also available with a cooling option. The energy efficient characteristics of an air source heat pump make it an ideal solution to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions.

The air source heat pump uses the refrigeration cycle to draw free energy from outside air and deliver it to the water in your domestic hot water and central heating system, this is why you may hear the term air to water heat pump. The refrigeration cycle is not a new technology; it is used in all refrigeration and air conditioning systems and most commonly in your fridge freezer at home. What is new is the way manufacturers have applied the refrigeration cycle to give an energy efficient alternative to traditional fossil fuel boilers.

Energy Saving Heating

Air source heat pumps provide domestic heating and hot water all year round and are able to extract free energy from the outside air down to temperatures as low as -20 degrees Celsius, and so will keep you warm through the harshest of winters. The extraction of free energy from the outside air means that 66% - 80% of your heating will be free of charge which will be a substantial saving and an investment that pays. For each 1 KW of input energy the output energy is 3 to 5 KW so that can be up to 4 KW of free energy for purchasing 1 KW. Your traditional fossil fuel boiler is much less efficient than this, even a condensing boiler will only give you 0.93 KW output for each 1 KW input.

These energy ratio’s are called the coefficient of performance (COP) and the higher the COP figure the more energy efficient the system. With air source heat pumps having a typical COP of 3 to 5 depending on the outside air temperature compared to a traditional fossil fuel boiler COP of 0.93 it is easy to see that there will be a substantial energy saving. Obviously saving energy has major benefits to you and the environment with your running costs and your CO2 emissions cut. This is not the only saving you will make as the government are offering grants of £900 to home owners installing air source heat pumps as they are accredited under the Microgeneration Certificate Scheme. Also with fuel prices rising year after year there has never been a better time to reduce your energy consumption.

Heat Pump Systems

There is a variety of different types of air source heat pumps available to us from several manufacturers so finding the correct solution for your property will not be a problem. There are package type units which have both of the two heat exchangers in the same unit which are positioned outside and the water is pumped into the property or split type units that have an external heat exchanger and an internal heat exchanger connected via two refrigeration pipes. Each of these systems can be used for domestic space heating only, domestic hot water and space heating or domestic hot water, space heating and space cooling.

There are different types of heat emitters available to suit your requirements with under floor heating being a favourable option due to its low water temperature resulting in a more efficient system. There are fan coils that give you the ability to supply cool air in the summer months or high efficiency radiators. Your existing radiators can also be utilised when using a high temperature model to achieve water temperatures up to 80 degrees Celsius. So with this great versatility you can be sure to get the end product tailored to your requirements.

If you are interested in an air source heat pump then call the Premiair team for a free quotation now, while the £900 government grants are still available.