Heat Pumps

What are heat pumps?

A heat pump is a heating and cooling unit that uses a refrigeration cycle to produce heating or cooling for a space or use. There are many different types of heat pumps, all with their own advantages and uses.

  • Air conditioning/heating (Air to Air heat pumps): Commonly referred to as air conditioning units, when capable of doing both heating and cooling they are then known as heat pumps.
  • Air source heat pumps (Air to Water heat pumps): Air source heat pumps are heating appliances that extract heat from the air they pull through the outdoor unit by using a fan to heat a wet circuit. These are typically used to heat homes and buildings. Aswell as providing hot water.
  • Exhaust air source heat pumps: Exhaust air source heat pumps are very similar to air source heat pumps with only one defining feature. All of the equipment is housed and installed inside of a building, with two ducts being installed from the unit. One to gather warmer air to extract heat from and another to expel the cooler air.
  • Ground source heat pumps:  Ground Source Heat Pumps are heating appliances that extract energy from the ground to be used for heating and hot water.
Advantages of heat pumps

Air conditioning (Air to Air Heat pumps):

  • They have the ability to heat and cool a room creating a comfortable temperature year-round.
  • As they heat/cool the air in a room, the air passes through a filter helping to keep the air clean.

Air Source Heat Pumps (Air to water heat pumps)

  • Capable of both heating and hot water production
  • As a renewable heating product it can significantly lower carbon lower the carbon footprint of your home versus fossil fuels.
  • Some government funding may be available.

Exhaust Air source heat pumps:

  • A more compact renewable heating solution for the smaller properties, typically installed in apartments.
  • No outdoor unit to be located and all maintenance can be carried out internally.
  • If extracting from high use areas in can help filter the air in the dwelling it is installed in.

Ground Source heat pumps:

  • A more efficient type of heat pump available to us during cold periods of the year, by extracting from a more temperature stable source.
  • Much larger units are available for large homes, commercial properties and multi dwelling installations.
  • Can also be used to extract from water sources such as rivers, lakes and subterranean water sources.