Overview
- Air source heat pumps absorb heat from the outside air. This heat can then be used to warm water for radiators or underfloor heating systems, or to warm the air in your home.
- 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.
- An air-to-water system uses the heat to warm water. Heat pumps heat water to a lower temperature than a standard boiler system would, so they are more suitable for underfloor heating systems than radiator systems.
- View our videos on heat pumps
Product
- The unit can be fitted to a wall or placed directly on the ground outside the home where it will have plenty of space to get a good flow of air.
- It is vital that the house is well insulated so that the air source heat pump can operate efficiently.
- Air source heat pumps compliment use of underfloor heating rather than radiators.
Cost and Savings
- Costs for installing a typical system suitable for a detached home range from about £5,000 to £9,000 including installation.
- Savings can be considerable - up to 5 tonnes of CO2 and £700 per year for a system that replaces an electric heating system.
- To reduce your home's CO2 emissions further, consider installing solar electricity or some other form of renewable electricity generating system to power the compressor and pump.
Heat Pumps and Under-floor Heating – A Great Combination
When pairing these two systems together you get fantastic results. Eu Ray (Euro Radiant Floor Heating) reported adding a heat pump instead of a gas boiler can save up to 30% with ground source and 20% with air source. With the continual rise in fuel prices this combination will not only protect your pocket but also the environment.
With a Heat Pump you can also emits heat through over sized radiators and fan heaters, however this method is not as efficient as underfloor heating as the pump has to run at higher temperatures. In our office we have a Stieble Eltron Air Source Heat Pump running on fan heaters, this works perfectly and has definitely brought the bills down, the only downside would be the slight humming noise of the fan heaters in the office.
Underfloor heating runs at a lower temperature then radiators, typically between 35-40 C which matches the heat pump range perfectly. Most Heat Pumps maximum temperatures are about 55 C. To increase efficiency extra underfloor pipe loops can be run, so the flow temperature can be reduced even lower. Insulation is vital to increase the efficiency, a well insulated system is the cheapest and most effective way to boost CoP (Coefficient of Performance)
(CoP (Coefficient of Performance) is a measure of the efficiency of a heat pump. A Ground Source Heat Pump has a CoP of about 4. This means the Heat Pump has created 4KW of free energy to every 1KW it uses of electricity to power it.)
The combination of Underfloor Heating and Heat Pumps are affected by 4 variables. Flow temperatures, quantity of pipe, insulation and thermal resistance of the floor covering. If you can accomplish the right blend this will be the perfect system to install in all types of properties. I believe this is the future of heating, it’s just a matter of building consumer confidence. |
