Your Guide to Understanding the Benefits of an Air Source Heat Pump
Air source heat pumps are all the rage today, particularly among those who want to save money on energy costs and enjoy warmer indoor temperatures. They work by taking in heat from the air and distributing it indoors. This makes the atmosphere inside your home much more pleasant than it would be with gas or wood heating. There are a number of benefits to installing an air source heat pump:
- Energy savings – You can save substantially on your energy costs by installing an air force heat pump as opposed to using electrical or gas heat. There is no fuel required to run the appliance so your electricity usage will be much lower and there is no need to purchase gas for heating.
- Space Efficient – The appliances take up very little space so if you live in a small home, you will find them to be very beneficial. They fit very well into any sized home or flat.
- Noiseless – Most units are very quiet when running.
Of course, before you run right out and install a unit, you will want to know exactly how much you will need to spend and about how much you can save. A typical unit will run you around £6,000 to £10,000 for installation. Your actual running costs will vary depending on a few things such as the size of your home and how well it is insulated. You will need to consider how warm you want your home to be on average to determine the overall running costs.
As far as savings, you may be very surprised to learn just how much one of these units can save you on heating costs throughout the year. You may be able to cut your heating costs by as much as 50 percent if you convert to an air source heat pump from an electric furnace. More advanced designs can also provide you with water heating which will help to cut water heating bills by as much as 25 to 50 percent.
You may want to see a comparison of what you can save. Here is a breakdown of the average savings of an air force heat pump performing at 220%:
- Gas heating system – savings of up to £100 per year
- Electric heating system – savings of up to £380 per year
- Oil heating system – savings of up to £80 per year
- Solid heating system – savings of up to £100 per year
You can see that energy cost savings is the main benefit of installing an air force heat pump. The systems are relatively easy to maintain when compared to other heating systems and most units have a service life of between 15 and 20 years. Most are also covered by a one year warranty on parts and labour with an additional five year or ten year warranty for the compressor. You should note that warranties will vary depending on the manufacturer so be certain to check warranty information before you have the system installed.
There are two different types of air source heat pumps. The air-to-air heat pump is the most common and extracts heat from the air that is then transferred to the inside of the home.
The air-to-water heat pump is the second type and is typically installed in homes with hydronic heat distribution systems in place. The heat pump takes air from outdoors and transfers it to water in the hydronic distribution system. These pumps can also provide cooling during the summer months by reversing this system. These air-to-water systems are fairly rare and most do not provide cooling.
Air source heat pumps can be all-electric, add-on or bivalent. All-electric pumps come with their own heating system while add-on pumps are designed to be used with another source of heat such as gas heating or an electric furnace. Bivalent pumps use gas or propane to help raise the temperature of the air that enters the outdoor coil. These units tend to operate at lower outdoor temperatures than others.
This article on air source heat pumps was written by Enerfina, an independent advisor helping consumers tailor renewable energy solutions for their homes.
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