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Guidance
Is an Air Source Heat Pump Right for Your Home?
- From: Kevin Smith
- Published 31 December 2024
Air source heat pumps have been emerging as a popular solution to a friendly environment instead of the usual heating systems and boilers. It can provide heat to both rooms of a property and water making them appropriate for homeowners and companies who want to lower both their heating cost and emissions.
But how do heat pumps work and whether the investment is going to be beneficial in the long term? This article will talk about why air supply warmness pumps are being geared up on homes within the United Kingdom so you can make the right selection as to whether the exchange is right for you.
What exactly is an air source heat pump?
An air source warmth pump (ASHP) is a low-emission heat pump that uses outdoor air to heat the house or office. The air source warmness pump setup can be used for 12 months and does not depend on fossil power sources for operation. Not simplest are they environmentally tons greater pleasant than conventional boilers but they also can prevent cash.
How Do Air Source Heat Pumps Work?
Air source heat pumps extract heat from the air external to your home then utilize it to warm your home and heat water for use. Exhaust fans transfer heat from the outside environment into your home heating system.
That is, it should go through a coolant and compression in order to attain the required heat quality. A heat exchanger will then heat a reserve hot water tank and the heat is taken around the rest of your wet systems in the home. This means that your radiators and your taps will be able to supply usable hot water.
In addition, you can use air-source heat pumps to cool your home as well if in use as heat pumps. To do this, they perform the opposite of the processes that were described above, that is, they throttle and cool the coolant. In turning through the heat exchanger, the coolant is released to absorb heat from the wet system of your home thus cooling the indoor environment and expelling heat outside.
Different Types of Air Source Heat Pumps
There are sorts of air-source warmth pumps: air-to-air and air-to-water. Both paintings are in the same manner but it’s miles greater high-quality to apply air-to-water heat pumps as an option to all your home heating desires. This is the case because, except from supplying area heating, air-to-water warmness pumps can also warm water. On the other hand, air-to-air warmness pumps can simply heat just your rooms and no longer your water.
Feature | Air to Water Heat Pumps | Air to Air Heat Pumps |
|---|---|---|
Air to Air Heat Pumps | Requires a wet heating system (radiators/underfloor) | Uses fans to blow hot air (no wet system) |
Installation Cost | Typically higher installation costs than air-to-air | Generally more affordable to install |
Efficiency | Very efficient; can reach efficiency levels of up to 400% | Efficient, but specific levels not mentioned |
Heating Capability | Heats both rooms and water | Heats only rooms |
Cooling Capability | Yes, similar to air to air | Yes, can double as an air conditioner |
Best For | Homes needing both space and water heating | Homes needing only space heating |
Advantages and Disadvantages of air source heat pumps
To further understand whether switching to an air-source heat pump is correct for you, consider the following advantages and disadvantages of installing this type of heating system:
Check Eligibility For ASHP Grant!
If you or any of your household is on benefits, you may be eligible for Free Air Source Heat Pump Grant.
Advantages:
Air source heat pumps offer numerous advantages over standard boilers. Some of these include:
- Economical and Efficient: An air source heat pump is an interesting investment because this equipment will assist you in reducing the expenses on heat supply for your house and hot water. As you will be aware your heat pump will need electricity to run but the heat will be created from the outside air and therefore is a lot more efficient and cheap.
- The installation of your air source heat pump will give you both heating and cooling services for your home without having to install two systems. The advantage to this would be preventing the need to pay for installation twice or having to maintain both your air conditioner and your central heating system.
- Space and Water Heating: This means that when you decide to go for an air-to-water heat pump you will be able to heat individual rooms of your home as well as the water. But if you only require space heating, then you have access to the best of both worlds, an air-to-air system that enables existing heat pumps to be adapted to your needs.
- Lower Carbon Emissions: More to this, since air-source heat pumps move heat from outside your home into your rooms for heating, they release much less CO2 than a gas boiler that burns carbon-based fuels. They use electricity, but they generate up to four times as much, making them an extraordinarily sustainable choice.
- No fuel required: There is no fuel to order or to store in order to warm your air source heat pump because this central heating system works with heat from fresh air constantly present in the environment.
- Easy to maintain: Your heat pump only needs to be repaired annually, so besides that, you don’t have to worry about it too much. Just pay attention to some signs that would hint that it is already reaching its wear-out stage.
- Quick Installation: Professionals can install some types of air-source heat pumps within two days of the work, and the procedure is significantly more complex than with the ground-source heat pumps, which involve digging many meters deep to lay a group of pipes.
- Eligible for air source heat pump grants: It does take a little initial setting up but most air source heat pump installations can be made cheap by applying for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. This means then you could receive a voucher to put towards your new air-source heating system.
- Year-Round Performance: Some people will think that air source heat pumps cannot function during the colder months, but in effect, they are effective in heating and cooling your home all year long.
- Long-Lasting: Air source heat pumps should last for up to 25 years but users are likely to get an average of a system lasting for 20 years.
Disadvantages:
The advantages of air source heat pump installation nearly always exceed the disadvantages, but there are several factors to consider while making your selection.
- Less efficient at freezing conditions: Most air source heat pumps run throughout the year but they do not transfer much heat outside at temperatures below 0°C. This does not mean your home feels less warm or there is no hot water, it only means that in the cold season, your heat pump will need a bit more power to produce the heat equivalent to when it is warm. On the other hand, ground source heat pumps have constant efficiency to temperatures and exhibit slightly improved efficiency at low temperatures.
- High upfront expenses: Even though air source heat pumps are cheaper to run in the longer term and might make you more money in the longer term, the cost of putting in one may well put people off. Ensure you are always getting the right heat pump for the needs of your home and check if there exists any grants to ensure that prices are kept to a minimum.
- Existing heating systems may need to be upgraded. Air source heat pumps are often compatible with wet systems in most UK homes, but to get the most out of them, you may need to install underfloor heating or larger radiators in some rooms.
- Although air source heat pumps can be installed for use in older homes with less insulation, these pumps are likely to provide limited performance than when installed in well-insulated dwellings.
- Some noise: Indeed the fans in an ASHP may be noisier than a standard boiler or an AC unit may be in some cases. But this is not going to bother you or your neighbors; it’s just something you want to bear in mind if you live in an area where you spend a lot of time outside in your backyard.
Can an air-source heat pump save you money?
Yes, saving money on energy bills is one of the primary reasons people choose to install air-source heat pumps. The fundamental reason for this is that air-source heat pumps are more efficient than typical gas boilers and electric heaters.
The amount you can save depends on the type of heating you now use and the heat pump’s Coefficient of Performance (COP). This is essentially how we calculate heat pump efficiency, and it considers not only the sort of heat pump you have but also the structure of your home. You should expect your heat pump to have a COP rating in the range of 2-5, with 5 being extremely efficient and 2 being less efficient but still outperforming traditional boilers.
If you go from a G-rated LPG boiler to an air source heat pump, you can expect to save roughly £560 per year on average, whereas those that use electric storage heaters may save up to £1,100. Larger houses in off-gas regions that switch to air-source heat pumps can save between £700 and £1,200. However, these numbers will vary based on how much your current bill is and how much energy you consume, with households that use mains gas saving less depending on tariffs.
For example, running an air source heat pump in a one-bedroom property is likely to cost between £650 and £900, whilst a property with more than four bedrooms may wind up costing between £850 and £1100. Costs will also vary depending on whether you choose an air-to-air or air-to-water pump, with air-to-water pumps being slightly more expensive because they heat both your water and your home’s rooms.
Receiving an Air Source Heat Pump Grants
If you’re concerned about the upfront expenses of purchasing and installing an air source heat pump, consider the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which was introduced in April 2022. The project aims to help the UK cut carbon emissions by assisting homes in upgrading their inefficient heating systems to newer, greener ones.
The scheme allows you to get up to £7,500 in Air Source Heat Pump Grants to help pay the costs of replacing your traditional boiler with air source heat pump grants. If you live in rural Scotland, you may be eligible for an additional £1,500.
In addition to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, you may be able to save money on your air source heat pump grants using VAT. Currently, energy-saving products are taxed at 0% rather than the regular 20%, and air source heat pumps should fall into this lower rate.
