Heat Pumps

Heat Pumps

Heat pumps work by making use of the freely available heat stored in the soil, (Ground Source) or from the outside air. In all cases the heat is derived originally from the sun.

A good Heat Pump installation is normally between 300 & 500% efficient and can produce all the heat needed  to produce domestic hot water and the heating  your house or property. If you own a swimming pool then this also can be heated in the same manner.

The only running cost is the electrical power needed to drive the compressor and if the installation is 400% efficient then for every 1kW of energy needed to drive the Heat Pump we can expect to receive up to 4kW of heat.
The cost of operating a heat pump system is a fraction of the normal methods using gas or oil because you only have to buy 25% of the energy you need.  If you ensure that this Electricity is “Green” electricity then you are heating your property with 100% renewable energy.  Further this means that when the cost of electricity rises it’s impact on your overall heating costs will be much less than your neighbours.

What is a heat pump?…  Well you almost certainly own one (or indeed several)  It is the same machine that drives your Refrigerator or Freezer only in this case it is the warm end which we use rather than in a freezer where the useful end is the cold end.

Our Heat Pump absorbs low grade heat from soil, air or water then moves and upgrades it so it can be used to heat your water or central heating system.

Protecting the environment.

Conventional methods of heating using oil, coal or gas release enormous quantities of CO2 into the atmosphere. A heat pump system will reduce this by about 75%.
There is also the added benefit of a 75% reduction in the release of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide into the atmosphere to be gained over conventional oil, coal and gas systems.  This because 75% of the heating energy is extracted from the environment.

Hot weather

In the summer, with day and night temperatures rising every year it is becoming more and more of a requirement in new highly insulated homes and offices to be able at times to cool rather than heat. A heat pump allows you to achieve this.
 
Working in reverse, the heat pump removes heat from the property, using it for other purposes such as heating you Domestic hot Water or a swimming pool or simply returning it to the ground or atmosphere.

In some circumstances this “returned” heat can be stored by the ground and recovered to be reused to heat your home during the next heating season.

These heat pump systems are known as reversible systems.