Find out about air source heat pumps.

What is an air source heat pump?

We all know what a boiler is. Millions of people throughout the UK use them to power their homes, but you might not have come across an air source heat pump before. These take air from the outside and use it to heat your home and give you hot water, creating a cleaner, more efficient alternative than a gas boiler.

Air source heat pumps are a great way of making your home more sustainable by reducing your heating costs and carbon footprint. A heat pump is typically 3 to 4 times more efficient than older heating systems.⬪ They're not just a lot of hot air!

How does an air source heat pump work?

Well it works like a fridge. Only in reverse. Make sense?

1. Heat pumps contain a liquid that absorbs heat from the outside air (even in temperatures as low as -20°C).

2. The heat pump then compresses the liquid to increase its temperature and then transfers the heat to your heating system.

3. Heat pumps can heat your water up to 45-55°C, more than enough for your radiators and hot water.

Air source heat pumps do use a small amount of electricity to work, and if you get your electricity from us on a fixed tariff it'll be 100% renewable. Perfect.

How much does it cost to install an air source heat pump?

This does depend on several factors, including the size of your property, however for a three bedroom detached house it would would typically cost between £10,000 and £20,000.∞

However, there are grants available that could help pay towards your new heat pump. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme could save you £7,500 off the cost of your new air source heat pump. It was announced as part of the £3.9 billion funding to help cut carbon emissions in the Heat and Buildings Strategy.

Can a heat pump save you money?

Heat pumps can help you cut your energy bills as their running costs could be lower than your current heating system. An air source heat pump can give you up to 4 times more heat for each unit of energy used to power it, although your savings will depend on the fuel you currently use to heat your home and the efficiency rating of your boiler.⟠

You can also get funding schemes for heat pumps to help with the initial installation costs.

Can air source heat pumps do cooling?

Of course they can. Air source heat pumps can be used to cool your home, just the same way they heat it.

Heat pumps work like an air conditioner, taking the heat from your home and pumping it outside to drop the temperature inside. They do this by collecting the heat as air passes over the coil in the air handler using a compressed refrigerant.

This gives heat pumps an advantage over air conditioners, as a heat pump can do both heating and cooling, whilst an air conditioner can only cool.

When you’re purchasing a heat pump it's important to check the rating, or coefficient of performance (COP). You’re looking for a COP above 0.7 for cooling.

Some of our heat pumps FAQs.

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^^^ Savings information for heat pumps provided by the Energy Saving Trust based on a standard air source heat pump in an average sized, three-bedroom semi-detached home, with radiator upgrades as required versus an old G-rated gas boiler.