Heat Pumps
What Are Heat Pumps?
Heat pumps are electrically powered appliances consisting of a compressor and two carefully matched heat exchangers designed to provide space heating through water systems, either radiators or under floor, by extracting from a free, renewable energy source such as the earth, water or air.
The earth, water or air absorbs and stores heat from the sun and the earth core. In the UK the average constant temperature of the earth at about 1.5m deep is 5-6ºC. A similar situation exists with underground water sources or large surface water sources. It is also possible to extract considerable heat from the ambient temperature as low as –15ºC.
Heat pumps are a very cost effective means of providing space heating; because of the high efficiency of the units the output heat energy can be up to 4 times the electrical input power, something not possible with other methods of heating.
Air Source Heat Pumps
These pumps draw air from the outside atmosphere and convert this energy to heat to service central heating requirements.
Ground Source Heat Pumps
Heat pumps can provide for all of our central heating and hot water needs, all from the solar heat stores in the ground around your property. The earth’s natural heat is collected through a series of pipes called a loop, which is installed below the surface of the ground or submersed in a pond or lake.
At a depth of approximately 2 metres, the ground in the UK remains a stable 10ºC all year round, which is the heat that our technology captures.
A fluid which is a special mixture of water and an environmentally friendly anti-freeze solution circulates through a loop in a closed circuit system, moving the heat from the ground to the heat pump. An indoor heat pump uses electrically driven compressor and heat exchangers in a vapour compression cycle.
This is the same principle employed in the operation of a fridge, but without harmful CFC emissions. The pump concentrates the earth’s energy and releases it inside your home at a higher temperature, through radiators or under floor heating, and into a hot water tank. Apart from the small amount of electricity used to power the function of the heat pump, all your central heating and hot water needs can be generated from the ground around you.
How You Benefit From Heat Pumps
The sun is an infinite source of energy and its warmth is stored in our natural surroundings. This is stored as thermal energy that our heat pump converts into space heating and hot water. Part of this stored energy is conducted via a heat transfer medium to the heat pump where it is converted to high temperatures. The heat pump dissipates much more energy than it consumes.
Thus for each unit you actually pay, nature gives you a bonus of another 3 – 5 units of energy. A heat pump can be installed virtually anywhere and produces warmth and hot water, even on the coldest days.
