Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP)

How Air Source Heat Pumps Work

An air source heat pump (ASHP) is usually placed outdoors at the side or back of a property. It takes heat from the air and boosts it to a higher temperature using a heat pump. The pump needs electricity to run, but it should use less electrical energy than the heat it produces.

Many air source heat pumps are eligible for payment through the Renewable Heat Incentive, a government scheme that provides payments to homeowners who generate their own heat.

In detail, the air source heat pump extracts heat from the outside air in the same way that a fridge extracts heat from its inside. It can get heat from the air even when the temperature is as low as -15° C. Heat pumps do need some electricity to run, but the heat they extract from the ground, air, or water is constantly being renewed naturally.

 

 

 

Air source heat pumps :


• Could lower your fuel bills significantly, especially if you are replacing conventional electric or oil heating
• Don't need fuel deliveries
• Can heat your home and provide hot water
• Need little maintenance - they're called 'fit and forget' technology

Unlike gas and oil boilers, heat pumps deliver heat at lower temperatures over much longer periods. During the winter they may need to be on constantly to heat your home efficiently. You will also notice that radiators won't feel as hot to the touch as they might do when you are using a gas or oil boiler.

How noisy is an air source heat pump?

We recommend the Samsung Mono unit in most situations. It produces 53dB of noise during its maximum output. In a properly designed system the heat pump will rarely run at maximum but even when it does, as long as it has been correctly sited, it won’t be heard inside of the property, .

Can an air source heat pump provide 100% of my hot water and heating?

Yes, provided the heat loss has been calculated correctly and heat emitters are sized at the lower running temperature the system will provide 100% of the hot water and heating.

Once per week the Heat Pump will use an electric heating element to raise the temperature of the water in the system to 65ºC to ensure that any potential bacteria in the system is killed off, this process is called pasteurisation and only uses a very limited amount of electricity.

What do they look like?

Air Source Heat Pumps look similar to an Air Conditioning unit, and come in various sizes.  The normal size for domestic properties is 1m x 1m x 0.35m.

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Page last updated 10/02/2023

 

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