So How Do Air Source Heat Pumps Work?

Air Source heating pumps are beginning to gain in favour as more and more people explore alternatives to gas and oil. The technology has actually been around for a number of years and has been used across a wide range of countries with varied climates. Many people with an eye on green issues are also keen to look at the credentials of Air Source as a means to help lower their carbon emissions.

So how do they work? Looking much like an air conditioning unit they are often sited outside the house and absorb heat from the air. Sounds like magic. True enough lots of people find it difficult to understand how heat can be extracted from outdoors even when it’s cold, working happily at temperatures as low as -20 degrees C. In truth they are very much like refrigerators but instead of taking heat out from the inside, they take it from the outside and push it in. Air source pumps are either ‘air to air’ which simply produces hot air, or are ‘air to water’ which as you might imagine heats water up to a temperature of around 55 degrees C. Although much lower than the temperatures created by a regular boiler they are often used in conjunction with under floor heating but can also be used to heat radiators, albeit with less efficiency. As air source heat pumps work at lower temperatures they tend to favour homes that are well insulated. It is common for systems to be run continuously in order to maintain a constant temperature; unlike boilers which are often timed to run intermittently, lifting temperature at certain periods and allowing them to fall at other times.

There are some wide and varied estimates concerning efficiency figures. If you have an interest in green issues there are some suggestions that CO2 is reduced by up to 75% compare to more traditional heat sources. Running costs are also very good but this does depend a lot on how well insulated individual houses are. There is generally no need for any maintenance just fit the system and let it run. Many manufactures claim their system will operate for up to 20 years. Installation cost is somewhat more expensive than a replacement boiler but in theory the efficiency gains should help provide payback at around the 5 year mark. So it really is a slightly longer term investment for most homeowners.

If you are really in to being super green then air source units can be run from solar panels which can potentially provide power during the daylight hours. Assuming you don’t want to gain from government tariffs, running air source in this way does provide a smug feeling of self sufficiency. As with many green options they are so often restricted by cost. In reality removal of a regular boiler and replacing it with air source may not practically provide all your hot water needs so a proper assessment will need to be carried out. An expert installer should be able to examine how the how is used by its inhabitants and the demand for showers, baths etc, as well as determining if the house is efficient enough from the point of view of heat loss.

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Paul Coupe is Online Marketing Manager for Quote4Removals.
http://www.quote4removals.com