How a Heat Pump Heats Your Home from “Thin Air”
An air source heat pump is a renewable heating product used as an alternative way to heat the home and hot water. When hearing about an Air Source Heat Pump, you may have heard the phrase – “heats your home from thin air” … but what exactly does this mean?
Traditionally, a home heating system will create heat by either burning fuels or converting electricity into heat. Heat pumps however are different, as they do not generate their own heat, instead they transfer existing heat energy from the air, into your home. This impressive technology is what makes heat pumps so efficient and cheap to run, as they deliver more heat energy than the electrical energy they use.
The Technology Explained
The easiest way to understand how an air source heat pump works is to imagine it working like a fridge, only in reverse – using a vapour compression cycle to extract heat from the outside air. Here is the process:
The heat pump draws air in and transfers it over an evaporator.
Air is blown over a network of tubes filled with an R32 refrigerant. The refrigerant is then warmed up, which turns it from a liquid into a gas.
This gas is then passed through a compressor which increases pressure as well as the temperature.
The hot gas then passes into a heat exchanger. The refrigerant gas transfers its heat to the water of the heating system before it is re-circulated around the home via radiators or underfloor heating as well as a into tank to provide hot water. The refrigerant will then condense back into a cool liquid and the cycle starts again.
How will an air source heat pump benefit me and my home?
Lower your heating bills:
Air source heat pumps are around 3x more efficient than a traditional boiler or electric storage heating, and so installing one can reduce running costs significantly – up to 60%!
Receive Government funding up to £13,900:
Air Source Heat Pump installations compliant with MCS, are eligible for the Renewable Heat Incentive . This means that you can receive up to £13,900 from the Government, non means tested and non-repayable, to help to cover installation costs.
Reduce your personal carbon footprint:
As a renewable energy source, heat pumps offer an alternative to fossil fuels by using clean, green energy to heat the home and hot water meaning you can feel good knowing you have done your bit for the environment.
Efficient heating through summer AND winter months:
Air source heat pumps generate more energy than they use, making them a very efficient heat source. A common misconception is that they do not perform in low temperatures, however they operate in temperatures as low as -20 degrees Celsius – meaning you will be cosy through all through the Scottish winter.
With home heating being responsible for 15% of carbon emissions, it is easy to see why the air source heat pump is becoming so popular and why the Government are providing funding to homeowners who install. The heat pump is the perfect energy efficient replacement to upgrade old traditional heating systems and save money at the same time.
Are you interested in benefitting from this impressive new heating system while Government funding is still available?
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