Air Source Heat Pumps
All the big questions, answered
Why should I upgrade to an Air Source Heat Pump?
Save Energy: Our air source heat pumps are four times more efficient than a gas boiler.
Go green: reduce your home’s carbon footprint by up to 75%
Future-proof your home
How does a Heat Pump work?
While Heat Pumps might sound like a new technology, the principle behind them was discovered more than 150 years ago and is used in more than one billion devices around the world.
If you’ve ever felt behind your fridge while it’s turned on, you will have noticed that it can get warm. This is because the heat pump in your fridge extracts heat from inside your fridge and dumps it into the air behind.
An air source heat pump uses the same tried and tested technology as your fridge, but on a much bigger scale, to pull heat from the air outside into the hot water that heats your home.
You might not think there is much heat to extract from the air on a frosty winter night, but the heat pumps we install still work at temperatures of -20C.
Using the heat in the air in this way, a heat pump acts as an energy multiplier, turning one unit of electricity into more than three times as much heat for your home.
Will a heat pump work in my home?
Heat pumps can work in every home, but there are usually trade-offs between the running costs and the amount of work required to install them. If you want to retrofit a heat pump in an existing home, you will need to do the following:
Choose an outdoor space for the heat pump: This needs to be more than 1 metre away from the boundary of your property and with minimal obstructions to the airflow around it. That means that it can’t be in an alleyway or too close to your neighbour's fence. Although planning permission can allow this.
Find a space for the hot water cylinder: People often choose the loft or garage for their cylinders, but if you don’t find space we also have experience installing Sunamp thermal stores which take up a fraction of the space of traditional hot water cylinders. Keeping the distance between your heat pump and cylinder as short as possible will help your system to run at maximum efficiency.
Check the diameter of your pipes: Pipes with a diameter of 10 millimetres or less are known as microbore and are incompatible with most heat pumps. They can be replaced, but it will add cost, time and more disruption to the job. We can also design an efficient system for microbore if needed. You should also be aware that some homes may need their radiators to be replaced with larger ones to be compatible with a heat pump.
Which brands of heat pumps do you install?
We mostly install Viessmann and Vaillant air source heat pumps. All are manufactured in Germany to a very high standard. These heat pumps are known for their reliability, efficiency and quiet operation. They also use a refrigerant called R290 which does not harm the environment unlike R32 which is used by many other manufacturers.
How much will an Air Source Heat Pump cost?
The cost of installing a heat pump will depend on many factors including the size and age of your home, where the heat pump and cylinder will be located and how much pipework will need to be replaced.The great news is that the government offer a £7500 grant to help homeowners with the cost of upgrading to a heat pump.
To help us estimate the cost of installing a heat pump, please fill in the form below and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
You can get a £7500 Government grant to upgrade to a Heat Pump
You can take advantage of the £7500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant which goes a long way in helping homeowners cover the costs for a heat pump. Check if you’re eligible by clicking the button below.