Heat Pumps - Overview

The future for heating and hot water

Heat pumps are one of the most environmentally clean and efficient ways of providing hot water and heating for any property. They utilise energy from the local environment (ground, air and water) and help reduce fossil fuel usage and carbon emissions.

Using the refrigeration cycle to absorb renewable energy from the environment, heat pumps can satisfy all of your heating and hot water requirements. For every 1kW of electricity used to operate the heat pump, approximately 4kW to 5kW is available for heating your property.

The energy for ground source heat pumps is collected using either horizontal pipes laid within trenches 1.5m deep or boreholes drilled to depths of 80m to 100m. In exceptional circumstances, boreholes to 180m depth can be utilised.

Air source heat pumps extract freely available heat from ambient air, for temperatures ranging from +35ºC down to -20ºC. Water source heat pumps utilise the constant latent heat in ground water of approximately 9ºC.

All heat pumps are guaranteed for 5 years and have a life expectancy in excess of 20 years.

Features

  • Use the inexhaustible supply of solar energy stored in the ground and air
  • Extremely reliable and quiet running
  • Can be sited internally or externally and are intrinsically safe
  • Allows Building Regulations Part L and carbon reduction requirements to be achieved
  • Recognised as one of the cornerstones of the Government’s micro-generationprogramme
  • Heat pumps approved under LowCarbon

Benefits

  • Provide both heating and hot water, and in reverse mode can be used for cooling
  • Low operating costs and unrivalled whole life costs
  • Reversible heat pumps allow waste heat to be utilized for heating hot water
  • They only consume electricity so there are no gas or oil safety issues
  • No fuel storage required so no unsightly tanks
  • Attract only 5% VAT and grants under the Government’s renewable energy schemes
  • Coupled with fan convectors they ensure fast heating/cooling with forced air circulation
  • Matched with underfloor heating they afford maximum living comfort