Why Choose a Heat Pump?

One of the big drivers for taking on a major home building project is to achieve a low-energy, low-bills household. One piece of the puzzle is how you choose to provide central heating and hot water. A popular option for those undertaking an eco build is to install a heat pump – but is it the right choice for you?

What is a heat pump?

These appliances take low-grade energy from the ground or air and convert it into usable, higher-temperature warmth that can be pushed into the living environment and used for space and water heating. They basically work on the same principle as a refrigerator, but operating in reverse.

It takes electric energy to run the pump, so while it does make use of renewable heat, it’s not a completely carbon free system. For each unit of power used by the appliances, you get more than one unit of heat output – and this is what makes them an attractive option.

Heat pumps work best when they’re used to run low-temperature distribution setups, such as underfloor heating (UFH). This is a great option for new homes, and can now be relatively easily installed in many existing buildings thanks to the proliferation of low-profile UFH systems.

This converts your entire floor into a heat emitter; the increased surface area allows for a much lower flow temperature to create a cosy environment – so less energy is required from the pump to raise the warmth of the water. An alternative is to go for oversized radiators.

It’s also possible for heat pumps to use water (from lakes or rivers) as the energy source; but in practice the opportunities to do this are rare. So in this article we’ll focus on air, ground and hybrid appliances.

Air source heat pumps (ASHPs)

This type of pump is the most affordable and least disruptive to install. It works by repurposing energy from the external air, concentrating it and outputting it to warm water. It’s an attractive renewable technology for many self builders and renovators, but there are some key considerations to bear in mind before you specify.

While it’s technically possible to extract heat from anything down to absolute zero (-273°C), it takes more and more energy to do this the lower the temperature falls.

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