What are Air Source Heat Pumps and how do they work?
The Benefits of Air Source Heat Pumps
Will your house be suitable?
How much might it cost to install?
Energy savings
Environmental savings
Air source heat pumps take energy from the air and raise it to a higher temperature using a process which is similar to a refrigeration process, but in reverse.
The air source unit draws air across a water/anti-freeze solution and transfers its energy in to the refrigerant. This causes the refrigerant to boil and the hot gases are compressed which produces temperatures of 100ºC. This temperature increase is used to heat the heating and domestic water.
The system is typically 300% efficient. The heat pumps are powered by electricity and for every KW of energy they use the pumps can produce up to 4.0kw of heat – giving potentially 3.0kw of ‘free heat’.
Air source heat pumps take up very little space and can be installed in new homes and can be just as easily retrofitted into existing properties.
Homeowners benefit from substantially reduced running costs and the replacement period exceeds current traditional boilers. The added bonus is a reduced carbon footprint for the property.
Air source heat pumps can be located on an outside wall of your home and only take up a small amount of space.
This system is suitable for use with a traditional radiator system (although you may need to install additional or larger radiators) or under floor heating depending on the floor covering.
This type of installation has been supported by attractive Government grants due to the use of ‘renewable technology’. Grants of up to £900 are available towards installation and commissioning and your local council may have additional support funding available to your area.
Air source heat pumps deliver significant cost savings compared to other fuels.
Savings against existing systems vary but the table below shows typical savings depending on the efficiency and type of existing installations, tariff and current fuel costs:
| Fuel Type | Saving | CO2 reduction per year |
| Electricity | £800 - £1000 | 6-8 tons |
| Oil | £450 - £600 | 1.5 – 2 tons |
| Solid Fuel | £350 - £500 | 6-8 tons |
| Gas | £200 - £400 | 1-2 tons |
All heating systems produce CO2 as a waste product of their process. The amount of CO2 produced is a measure of the “greenness” of the different systems. Compared to conventional heating systems the air source systems are considerably greener.
| Fuel Type | CO2 Levels (Kg/Kw of Energy) |
| Electricity | 0.43kg |
| Oil | 0.26kg |
| LPG | 0.25kg |
| Gas | 0.14kg |
| Air Source Heat Pumps | 0.11kg |
