Eco-Friendly Heating: How Air Source Heat Pumps Can Transform Your Home:
Constantly maintaining the perfect temperature in your home may seem like a challenge, especially if you have an old gas-guzzling fossil fuel boiler.
If your home is chilly in winter and too warm in summer, it is time to look at an innovative piece of technology that is transforming homes. Air source heat pumps are efficient, affordable, and eco-friendly, plus they can help reduce your energy bills!
Understanding The Basics: How Does An Air Source Heat Pump Work?
Air source heat pumps work similarly to an air conditioner, except they extract heat from the outside air to use for heating.
There are two types of air source heat pumps: air-to-water and air-to-air. At the end of each cycle, the air re-cycles and renews through the heat pump.
How it works
Here’s a look at the basic steps of how an air source heat pump system works:
- Air is drawn into an outdoor heat pump unit with a fan.
- Inside the unit, a refrigerant will absorb any heat from the outside air.
- This process turns the liquid refrigerant into gas.
- The refrigerant gas then travels through a compressor, which squeezes the gas.
- Due to the pressurisation, the gas heats up.
- The next step is how the heat is delivered, which will differ depending on the type of heat pump you have.
Air-to-air
With air-to-air heat pumps, extracted heat is transferred from the outside unit to an indoor unit. It passes through a heat exchanger, causing friction from the air’s movement to produce heat. This heat is then distributed throughout your home via the ductwork system.
Air-to-water
An air-to-water heat pump extracts heat from the air, which passes through a heat exchanger to your wet central heating system. Heated water is circulated using a hydronic heating system to warm your home, making it ideal for underfloor heating. Heat pumps provide underfloor heating with more heat and less hassle.
The benefit of these types of heat pump systems is that they can also produce hot water for showers and taps. The hot water can be stored in a hot water cylinder, ready to use when you need it.
The Environmental Benefits Of Air Source Heat Pumps
Traditional boilers rely on natural gas or propane to create heat. This adds to the greenhouse effect since pollutants are released when these fossil fuels are burned.
On the other hand, heat pump technology runs on electrical energy, which means that no fossil fuels are burned in the process of producing heat.
Save Money And The Planet!
Here are just a couple of ways that ASHPs can help save you money and the planet:
- Since heat pumps run on electricity, they can be integrated with renewable energy sources like solar or wind power.
- While modern gas boilers can reach 90-95% efficiency, heat pumps are 300-400% efficient. This means that ASHPs require less energy to produce the same amount of heat. Additionally, none of the heat generated is lost, leading to added cost savings.
Installation And Maintenance Tips
Proper heat pump installation is crucial to ensure your air source heat pump runs efficiently.
Unlike ground source heat pumps, which can take up significant outdoor space, you don’t need much space for an air source heat pump’s external unit. It just requires a small, unobstructed area, away from a grill or overgrown foliage. It also needs room for good air circulation to ensure it runs efficiently.
Regular maintenance is also important to ensure your heat pump runs effectively in the long term. Here are a couple of tips to keep in mind:
- Familiarise yourself with the manufacturer’s guidelines regarding servicing or replacing the air filters.
- Remove any debris, like dirt or leaves, and keep the area around the external unit clear of plant growth.
- Contact a qualified technician to have your air source heat pump serviced and checked regularly, at least three times a year.
Final Thoughts
An air source heat pumps is a great investment for any home. They can make your home cosy without relying on fossil fuels to produce heat. As a result, you can warm your home and produce hot water without impacting the environment.
While the initial outlay may be higher than for other heating systems, the long-term savings will make your wallet happy.
Installing a heat pump is a great option with even greater benefits. Take action and choose a renewable heat energy source!
