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Although we may not know it heat pumps are very familiar to us - fridges and air conditioners are two examples of heat pumps being used in everyday appliances.
Ground sourced heat pumps transfer heat from the ground into a building to provide space heating and domestic hot water. For eveiy unit of electricity used to pump the heat, 3-4 units of heat are produced.
How Ground Sourced heat pumps work
The earth has the ability to absorb and store heat from the sun. This heat is extracted from the earth using a ground loop. The ground loop comprises of lengths of pipe buried in the ground, either in a borehole or a trench usuially in your rear garden. The pipe is usually a closed circuit and is filled with a mixture of water and antifreeze.The ground bop is connected to a Heat Pump inside your home and this takes heat out of the circulating mixture. The temperature is raised within the Heat Pump using the refrigeration cycle. Hot water is then transferred into your heating circuit and hot water tank.
How efficient is a heat pump?
The efficiency of a heat pump is measured by the what is called the coefficient of performance. This is the ratio between the amount of heat generated for unit of electricity used. Heat pumps can save up to 70% in energy costs against conventional systems
and less C02 emissions than fossil fuelled systems.
Typical coefficient of performance for heat pumps range from 2.5 to 4. The higher end of this range is for under-floor heating, because it works at a lower temperature (30-35°C) than radiators.
What size are Heat Pumps?
They are similar in size to a domestic fridge freezer. The Heat pump is best installed in ither in your utility room or out in the garage.
Will a heat pump heat my house all year round?
Yes it will because even in the winter the ground still retains heat.
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