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When it comes to heating, there are numerous options with their pros and cons. While the standard procedure is to keep a low-cost gas boiler, there are several reasons to avoid them: they can be bulky, they lose efficiency over time, and they’re not very eco-friendly. If these boiler drawbacks irks you, you could opt for a heat pump instead.
But is a heat pump the right choice for your home? Let’s dive into the different types of heat pumps and what you need to remember before installing them. Underneath each type, we’ll make a recommendation breaking down who it's for.
Heat Pumps Explained
All heat pumps work similarly: transferring heat to a refrigerant stored in their pipes which then makes the refrigerant boil and turn into vapour. The vapour is then compressed so it can carry more heat to warm the home when released into the central heating system as a super-hot gas.
The vapour cycles back as a liquid and passes through a special valve that cools. This same process can be reversed to cause cooling in the home. In that instance, the heat pump can take the heat within the house, carry it through the refrigerant, and transfer it outside, allowing for a cooler atmosphere in your home.
The great part is that this cycle of cooling and heating is a renewable process that uses very little energy while doing the work of both a heater and an Air Conditioner. While all heat pumps are highly efficient compared to other forms of heating and cooling, there are differences in efficiency based on the type of heat pump you install.
Heat pumps can “pump” heat into either a central heating system or into water pipes. The water-based setup can let you combine it with underfloor heating, although this has the drawback of making the system “heating-only” i.e., without a cooling function.
Let’s get into some cons.
Right off the bat, keep in mind that heat pumps are expensive compared to boilers.
The savings come in from operating costs which can be two to four times lower than boilers but only if you have decent insulation.
Really cold regions (sub-zero temperatures) may see a drop in seasonal efficiency.
If you live in extremely cold regions, an air source heat pump might freeze. This happens if the heat pump evaporator is colder than the surrounding air. You can prevent this by keeping it clear of any blockages like leaves or dirt.
Heat Pump Types
There are three heat pump types: ground, air, and water source. Each of these uses a different approach to gathering and expelling heat, with ground source heat pumps being the most efficient. Let’s look at a few and how they differ:
Air source
The most common types of heat pumps in the UK are air source heat pumps. The most common and cheapest type is the air source heat pump. Like all heat pumps, it extracts the heat from the air, filters out the cold or warmth depending on whether you need cooling or heating, and pumps it into the house.
Air source heat pumps come in 2 varieties: air-to-air and air-to-water. The difference between the two is that one connects to a wet central heating system and the other connects to air ducts around the property. The mode of delivery is the main difference but it impacts a lot, like whether your system will heat and cool or only heat, like with a water-based system.
Air to air heat pumps use less energy than air to water ones, and they can also cool your home. It’s important to note that air to water heat pumps cannot cool. However, they can heat your hot water, unlike air to air heat pumps. Air to water systems can also be hooked up to underfloor heating and existing radiators.
Recommendation:
Air source heat pumps are the cheapest and most accessible. They take up the least amount of space and most of their bulky components are installed outside. They are great if you want to save on installation costs and still receive twice the energy efficiency of a boiler. While they aren’t the most energy efficient heat pump type they are less costly and are less space-intensive.
But should you go for an air to air or air to water model? If you live in an area, where the heat is less of an issue than the cold, air to water will suit you fine. It can’t cool your home, but it will make those difficult winters disappear, especially with underfloor heating and hot water capabilities. If you need both heating and cooling, air to air is the way to go.
Water source
Next up we have water source heat pumps (not to be confused with air to water heat pumps). these work in a similar way but they pass the pipes through a body of water, like a river or stream, rather than gathering heat from the air.
The system is split, with the indoor system blowing cooled or heated air while the outdoor unit compresses the coolant. The two components are connected by piping that carries the coolant back and forth. The fan draws the outside air through the coil so that the superheated gas cools. These can be more efficient as they use the ambient temperature of water to change the temperature of the coolant.
Water source heat pumps can also transfer through water or through radiators, depending on what version you install.
Recommendation:
While they are highly efficient, not many homeowners live near a body of water. If you do, they can be a great option. They are more expensive than air source heat pumps and require a more complex installation process. However, they are also more energy efficient.
Ground source
However, if your main priority is efficiency, another kind of heat pump takes the cake. As the name suggests, ground source heat pumps pass pipework through the ground using the heat it gets from the sun to control the temperature within your home.
Ground source models require far more work to install, as they need a Heat pump unit, underground heat exchanger, pipes, and a distribution system. They are also up to 4 times more efficient than even the best boilers, leading to a 400% decrease in electricity bills.
Recommendation:
There’s no getting around it. These heat pumps are expensive. If you have the money or can access local heat pump grants, go for it. You also need some sufficient outdoor space suitable for boring holes and inserting the heat exchanger. It is a powerful technology that can be handy overall, with very few domestic systems that can compete with it.
Hopefully, this resource will help you decide whether you want a heat pump or not.
