Heat pumps are another form of renewable technology, providing heat and hot water to homes and business throughout the year. With low maintenance and long life expectancy combined with the opportunity to slash energy bills, they’ve become more and more popular around the UK.
With gas and electricity prices continually on the rise, renewables have gained popularity because of the benefits of reduced heating bills by producing environmentally friendly energy.
Whilst geothermal heat pumps take energy from the ground, air source heat pumps (the most popular in the UK) capture heat from the air even at temperatures as low as -15°C.
How do heat pumps work?
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As with most technology used in the home, whilst they look complicated there’s a simple answer to how heat pumps work. Essentially, everything contains a certain amount of heat; even ice blocks. Heat pumps work by absorbing this heat and transferring it to a compressor where the temperature is increased.
The heat is then at the right temperature to use in the home, whether it’s for space or water heating. This is why the technology can be used all year round, including the winter. The technology works in an opposite way to the fridge, which extracts heat from inside and transfers it out.
Will I benefit from a heat pump?
With heat pumps there are two different types available for domestic and commercial installations; ground source and air source heat pumps. The most suitable one for your home will be decided by a number of key factors.
Whichever heat pump you find most suited to your property, ensure that your home has sufficient insulation. This could include loft lagging, wall cavity insulation or double glazing and means the heat you generate won’t be lost.
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With a ground source heat pump you need to make sure your garden is large enough to accommodate the system. It will be buried in a borehole in the garden for pipes to collect the heat and will connect to your home.
On the other hand, the nation’s favourite, air source heat pumps, take the look of large radiators and are fitted to an external wall of the home. As long as there’s a sufficient supply of air you’ll have an efficient system taking heat from temperatures down to -15° C.
Both systems will work almost silently, whilst saving you hundreds of pounds annually depending on the type of fuel you’re looking to replace.