Heat pumps

Heat Pumps are a method of heating your building by extracting heat from the outside air or ground. They are so efficient they considered renewable, as they convert 1 kW of electricity into atleast 3 kW's of heat. Widely used in Europe, a heat pump draws heat from the air or from the earth and transfers it into the home. While at first thought one might think there is little heat available from these sources in the dead of winter, the reality is that a modern heat pump system can draw enough heat to keep the average home warm even on the coldest day of winter and with little need for backup heating.

This is because heat pumps do not rely on energy forms, such as natural gas or oil, to provide heat. Given that, they can be tremendously energy efficient and economical to operate. There are two basic categories of heat pumps – those that draw heat from the ground or water and those that draw heat from the air.

Ground source heat pump

A ground source heat pump is a closed loop system which takes advantage of the more stable temperatures found underground, where the temperature is between 7 and 13 degrees. An antifreeze based solution is pumped through this loop which has a very low boiling point. Due to the relationship of temperature, volume and density, this causes an abundance of heat in your building all year round, even on the coldest of days. This system takes care of all your hot water and heating requirements for your building.

Air to water source heat pump

An air-to-air heat pump looks and operates similar to an air conditioner. It does this by taking heat from the outside air, which is extracted via a refrigeration cycle, and distributing it through ductwork into the home just like a conventional furnace.

Traditionally air-to-air heat pumps have been used in areas with warmer climates, , because their heating capacity drops off substantially when outside temperatures drop below zero degrees. However, this is no longer the case. Advanced technological development has allowed some state-of-the-art air source heat pumps to provide more than enough heat to keep a modern well insulated home comfortable at temperatures well below zero degrees Celsius. As a result, heat pumps are now being used as far north as northern Canada and Norway.

The companies quoting will outline system types and size’s based on your requirements and budget.