How Air Source Heat Pumps Work

If you’re looking for an excellent, energy efficient alternative to heating your home, an air source heat pump is a fantastic renewable energy option to consider. With an air source heat pump, you’ll be able to produce clean, renewable heat and potentially reduce your energy costs each month.

If you’re considering installing an air source heat pump and are curious about how they work: this is the guide for you. Read on to find out all there is to know about how this low-carbon heating solution works.

What is an Air Source Heat Pump?

Unlike the majority of home heating systems, which either burn fuel or turn energy into heat, air source heat pumps don’t generate heat. What heat pumps do instead transfer existing heat energy from outside into your home. That’s right, an air source heat pump extracts heat from the air outside to water, heating your home via radiators and underfloor heating.

Additionally, an air source heat pump can heat water in a hot water cylinder. This ensures there is heated water for things like your shower, bath, sinks and hot water taps.

So, How Does an Air Source Heat Pump Work?

An air source heat pump absorbs heat from the outside air and uses it to heat underfloor heating systems, radiators and hot water in your home. We’ll break this down in more detail.

Air source heat pumps absorb thermal energy (heat) from the outside air and transfer it straight into your house, where it is compressed and heated by a network of coils. A system of tubes that are filled with a coolant is circulated with outside air. The coolant becomes warmer, as a result, changing from a liquid to a gas. When this gas is compressed, the pressure rises and the amount of heat is increased.

A heat exchanger, which is surrounded by cold air or water, receives the compressed, hot gases. This cool air or water becomes heated as a result of the coolant transferring its heat to it. The cycle then repeats when the refrigerant condenses back into a chilled liquid.

You will need to operate them for longer lengths of time to heat your house to a suitable temperature since they provide heat at lower temperatures than gas boilers. However, as discussed, they are renewable, cost-effective and use a lot less energy. Thus, an air source heat pump is an efficient and inexpensive solution that heats your home and saves you money on your energy bills.

A renewable way to heat your home

Looking for a more energy-efficient way to heat your home – be it for hot water or heating in general? Air source heat pumps can heat your home in various ways. Although the water will be colder than that from a boiler, heat pumps can be an excellent source of hot water.

Typically, heat pumps perform best when there is little variation between the temperature inside and outside, therefore underfloor heating systems work great with them. Likewise, air source heat pumps are brilliant for providing heat through your radiators.