Heat Pumps

What is a Heat Pump?

A heat pump simply moves heat, extracting the dormant heat from the outside air & transferring it into the water of the central heating & hot water system.

How does a Heat Pump Work?

Our environment is full of energy, even at sub-zero temperatures there is plenty of energy available. Heat pumps extract the sun's energy stored in the environment and raise it to a temperature suitable for heating purposes. This principle works even in the middle of winter at temperatures as low as -25°C.

Heat pumps produce significantly more renewable energy (up to 5 times) than the electricity required to power them, saving you money. Because they operate at between 55 and 70 degrees centigrade, they work best with low carbon low cost heating systems such as under floor and Dimplex SmartRads, which can heat your home effectively at lower water temperatures that conventional radiators.

Using Nature's Energy Efficiently

Heat pumps are among the most efficient heating and hot water systems available today. Approximately 75% of the energy needed for heating comes from the environment. This means that for every 1kWh of electricity used to power the heat pump compressor, between 3 and 4 kWh of heating energy are produced, giving the heat pump an efficiency of 300-400% or higher.

The heat pump's "efficiency" is known as it's "Coefficient of Performance" (CoP). This is simply a ratio between the proportion of the total energy supplied that can be extracted from the environment and the amount supplied by electricity to run the heat pump compressor. The higher the CoP, the more "free" environmental energy the heat pump is using!

Heat Pump Benefits

Low fuel costs are only part of the story. Unlike gas and oil based systems, heat pumps require no costly regular maintenance or annual safety inspections. And because a heat pump has a reasonable life expectancy of 20 – 25 years, typically twice that of a boiler, the investment costs can be recovered over a longer period meaning the ownership costs over the working life of the system are demonstrably.