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Ordering a new heat pump from PlumbProud
What is a heat pump?
Heat pumps may seem new to the UK but they’re actually one of the most popular types of renewable heating systems in other countries across the world. Heat pumps are very common in the colder parts of North America and Europe.
To best understand what a heat pump is, think about your current central heating system.
The existing heating system you have in your home is probably powered by a gas boiler and it’s the energy that’s created your boiler burning that gas which warms your radiators and provides the hot water you need for your baths.
With a heat pump, it’s different. Instead, it uses thermal energy from the atmosphere, from underground, and from water to warm your water and your radiators.
How do heat pumps work?
There are three different types of heat pump, the most common of which are ground source heat pumps and air source heat pumps.
Air source heat pump
Air source heat pumps use the same principles as refrigerators to work but in reverse.
An air source heat pump contains a network of tubes containing a liquid refrigerant. The outdoor air come into contact with the tubes and the latent heat in the atmosphere warms up that liquid turning into a gas.
The gas then passes through a compressor which simultaneously increases both heat and pressure within the tube. This now warm gas passes transfers its heat to the air or water via a heat exchanger in the cylinder surrounding it.
The heated-up water or air then circulates all around your central heating system to produce hot water and heating for your home.
What if the air temperature outside is cold? There is still energy for the heat pump to convert even if the outside air temperature is at absolute zero. However, on colder days, your heat pump may struggle to provide you with water to the temperature you require.
Ground source heat pump
Like air source heat pumps, ground source heat pumps also rely on a network of tubes but these tubes are buried underground.
Even just a metre or two down into the ground, the soil has a much higher temperature than the temperature you and I feel in the open air. That’s because the earth beneath our feet captures and retains atmospheric heat and does an effective job of storing it.
To extract heat from the ground, a mixture of anti-freeze and water is pumped around the heat pump’s tubes which absorbs naturally occurring underground heat.
This now warmer water and anti-freeze is then fed into a heat exchanger to provide heating and hot water to our homes.
Is a heat pump suitable for your home?
Backed by the Energy Saving Trust as an effective way to lower carbon emissions and reduce fossil fuel energy consumption, many experts are predicting that heat pumps will completely replace gas boilers in the next 30 years as the technology improves.
And heat pumps now have the support of the Government as, from April 2022, the government will be making 90,000 grants available every year to homeowners investing in heat pumps reducing their installation costs by £5,000.
But heat pumps aren’t right for every home. They’re best for properties which are already adequately insulated preferably with large radiators or underfloor heating.
You’ll also need space in your garden or yard for the heat pump itself. And like with system or standard boiler, you’ll need sufficient interior space to house a hot water cylinder. You may also need to consult local building regulations if your property is listed or in a conservation area.
To speak with us about the advantages and opportunities of installing a heat pump in your home, please call us on 01604 343053 or fill in the form at the bottom of the page.
Heat pump system FAQ
New grants of £5,000 will be available for homeowners to purchase air and ground source heat pumps for their properties from April 2022. This new “Boiler Replacement Grant” is part of the government’s drive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, our carbon footprint as a country, and household energy bills.
This is set to replace the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme originally launched in 2014 but for which applications close on 31st March 2022. To apply for support under the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme, you need to apply to OFGEM with your installer’s Microgeneration Certification Scheme number, your Energy Performance Certificate number, and your bank details.
Subscribers to the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme receive a quarterly tariff payment from the government based on the number of kWh of heat your system produces.
Air sources heat pumps cost between £8,000 and £15,000 to supply and install depending on the size, model, and brand of the heat pump.
A ground source heat pump an cost between £15,000 and £30,000 although homeowners with ground source heat pumps registered with the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme receive higher tariffs than home owners with air source heat pumps.
In contrast, you can purchase a natural gas boiler fully installed from PlumbProud for as little as £1,500. Click here for more information.
Yes. For air source heat pumps and ground source heat pumps, you’ll need to find room within your property to house a hot water cylinder.
For air source pumps, you’ll need space in your garden or yard to house its outdoor unit. The outdoor unit looks like an air conditioning unit and electrically-powered fans are built into them which bring in the air from outside to warm the tubing.
For a ground source heat pump, no external unit is required.
Heat pumps can be used for space heating as well as for providing the hot water currently supplied to your existing heating system by your boiler.
If you do need your heat pump for space heating purposes, please let us know when you get in touch as this will require a heat pump with a flow temperature of at least 55oC.
It may be that a new heat pump system will not be able to provide satisfactory domestic hot water and heat to your property. However, we understand that you still may wish to invest in one for your existing property because you want to reduce your carbon footprint.
Hybrid heat pumps are heat pumps combined with traditional boilers. For example during winter, the boiler element will take over if a low temperature outside means that the heat pump element is not able to distribute heat and hot water satisfactorily around your property.
Another option you may wish to consider are thermal solar panels. They capture energy from the sun to heat and keep warm water in a cylinder to be used later.
For more information on hybrid heat pumps and other heating systems you may wish to consider, please get in touch with us.
Yes but please bear in mind that the removal of a heat pump from your current property and subsequent installation at your new property may end up being more expensive than buying a new heat pump when you move in to your new home.
If you do intend to move the heat pump to your new property, you’ll have to make sure that your new property is suitable for the model you select and has the necessary space and ground conditions for the piping and/or outdoor unit.
Water source heat pumps use submerged piping to obtain latent heat from lakes, rivers, boreholes, or large ponds and also pass it through an exchanger.
A water heat pump requires a lot of water to work meaning that it is not suitable for most households.
Domestic combi boilers, system boilers, and heat only boilers tend to be switched on intermittently to provide heating and hot water when needed. They provide heating and hot water quicker than a heat pump because of the greater amount of energy used in operation.
For most properties, it is better if a heat pump is left is a “steady state” mode (that is, always on) because it heats water to a lower temperature than a traditional boiler. By switching a heat pump on and off repeatedly, the base temperature of the water in the system may reduce meaning that it takes even longer to heat the water to an acceptable temperature.
Current government policy, although not yet enacted into law, is to ban gas and oil boilers in new build properties from 2025.
There is currently no suggestion that homeowners seeking new gas boilers for existing properties will be banned from doing so although this may change.
For an air source heat pump, you need to keep the outside unit free from debris and leaves. You will need to regularly replace or clean the heat pump’s filters.
For a ground source heat pump, you need to ensure that the correct levels of fluid within the system are maintained and that the level of anti-freeze is high enough to ensure movement of the fluid.
For both types of pump, the hot water cylinder will also need servicing according to the manufacturer’s specifications.
Yes. Underfloor heating systems provide heat from the ground up across a wide surface area.
This means that the water passing through the pipes of an underfloor heating system can achieve the same levels of heat but without cold spots as a radiator powered by a standard boiler.
Air source heat pumps make more noise than a ground source heat pump because of the fan used to draw external air into the system.
However, in most cases, the noise made by an air source heat pump is no louder than standard ambient environmental noise.
Speak to our heat pump installation team today
Should you choose a new gas boiler or a new energy pump for your property? Do you want to find out more about the government incentives available to homeowners to install a new heat pump? And do you want to know more on running costs and the potential to lower your energy bills?
To speak with us about the advantages and opportunities of installing a heat pump in your home, please call us on 01604 343053 or click the button below to go through to our enquiry form.
To get in touch with our heat pump team, please click the button to leave us a message
Look forward to hearing from you!
