Introduction to Heat Pumps
Heat Pumps are used for DHW and space heating. They supply heating to buildings by using the same principles as refrigerators. Whereas a fridge takes energy from the inside of a fridge and emits the heat into the room via the grill on the back, thus cooling the fridge and heating the room slightly, a heat pump takes energy from the outside environment and emits it into the building, cooling the outside (ground, air or sometimes water) and warming up the property. This process requires electricity; this is why heat pumps are considered low-carbon technologies and not completely renewable. If a heat pump system was designed so that the electrical energy came from a renewable source such as wind or solar, or if the building purchased electricity from a renewable electricity supplier using heat pumps could be considered a renewable energy.
Benefits of installing heat pumps include:
• There is no boiler, fuel store, flue or ventilation requirements
• There are no combustible or explosive materials stored in or around the building
• Low maintenance
• High reliability
There are a number of varieties and arrangements of heat pump systems based on where they source and emit heat. The most common are Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHP) and Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP). These are mostly ground-to-water and air-to-water systems (transferring heat from the ground or the air to water in the central heating system) although you can also get to-air systems (transferring heat from the ground or the air to heat air coming into the home).
What next?
1) Visit our Biomass Enquiry page to move forward with an enquiry
2) Contact us using our Online Enquiry Form or call us on 01223 361 112
3) Visit out Biomass Section at our Info Centre to find out more detailed information about Solar Thermal and related issues
4) Visit our Products and Services page to find out about Cambridge Solar’s offering in more detail
