With crises in both the climate and cost of living, homeowners are trying to find the best middle ground in their energy usage. A relatively new option, that provides cheap, green energy, is the heat pump.
Not only do heat pumps offer eco-friendly energy at a far lower rate than boilers, but the UK government is so eager to have them installed that they are offering grants to homeowners looking to make the switch
Before you rush into anything, though, it’s important to know exactly what you’re getting with heat pumps.
What are they?
Air source heat pumps are an eco-friendly alternative to home heating that can be used in place of traditional boiler systems. Unlike traditional boilers, which use electricity to generate heat, heat pumps extract the heat from the air and repurpose it for heating and hot water needs. They still need a little electricity, but are far less fossil fuel-dependent than boilers.
How do they work?
Heat pumps make use of a unique fluid known as a refrigerant, which absorbs the already existing heat from the air (as low as 25 degrees Celsius!). No, you’re not silly for drawing the comparison to a fridge, but the difference lies in how the absorbed heat is used.
A heat exchanger circulates and compresses this refrigerant, increasing its temperature before transferring the heat into water. This is then distributed through your radiators or washing facilities.
How efficient are they?
For heat pumps, we measure the CoP, or coefficient of performance. Without bogging you down with scientific jargon, a CoP of, let’s say 4, simply means that each unit of electricity a heat pump uses is converted into 4 units of heat – a vast improvement over traditional boiler systems. Installers will talk you through the best choice for your home beforehand, and you can find expert advice and services for air source heat pumps Gloucester online, from specialists like GSM Limited.
In terms of cost-effectiveness, once you’re past the initial cost, heat pumps use less energy for less money, saving you around £340 per year on your bills.