Air Source Heat Pumps Scotland – Discover Natural Warmth
Air source heat pumps (ASHPs) are electrically driven heat exchanger systems that warm cold air inside a building as it passes through an exchanger which extracts heat from the air outside. The reverse situation, in which heat is removed from a building and deposited externally, is in essence an “air conditioning” system, or refrigerator. All heat pumps have a “coefficient of performance” (CoP), defined as the ratio of the amount of heat produced per unit of electricity consumed.
Air source heat pumps in the UK are normally coupled with heating systems that require relatively low operating temperatures, such as under-floor heating. But there are also systems available that can integrate with conventional radiator systems.
Installation of a NIBE air/water heat pump can lead to your energy consumption for heating being reduced by up to 50%, in comparison to conventional heating systems.
Areas of Use
You should choose a NIBE air/water heat pump if is not possible to drill in a ground probe or install a surface absorber on the property. This converts the energy of the outside air into heat and creates a comfortable temperature inside the house.
Although none of the air/water heat pumps that are available on the market can cover the heating requirements all year round, this type of heat pump does offer economic benefits. In bivalent operation it covers the majority of the heating requirements in a very economical manner, therefore the existing heating system only needs to cover the peak periods. In mono-energetic operation, i.e. an air/water heat pump in combination with an immersion heater, the heat pump should cover heating by itself and the immersion heater is only activated during extreme peak periods.
How do you get heat from cold air?
Air/water heat pumps utilise the heat energy of the outside air. The heat pumps are designed for outside placement and transform an existing radiator system into an excellent, complete heating system.
Heat pump technology is actually based on a very simple, well-known principle. It works in a similar way to any domestic refrigerator, using a vapour compression cycle. The main components in the heat pump are the compressor, the expansion valve and two heat exchangers (an evaporator and a condenser).
A fan draws the outdoor air into the heat pump where it meets the evaporator. This is connected in a closed system containing a refrigerant that can turn into gas at very low temperatures. When the outdoor air hits the evaporator the refrigerant will turn into gas. Then, using a compressor, the gas reaches a high enough temperature to be transferred in the condenser to the house’s heating system. At the same time the refrigerant reverts to liquid form, ready to turn into gas once more and to collect new heat.
Using an inverter-driven heat pump compressor, the system can be regulated so that heat output matches the exact capacity required at any given time. This means the heat pump will only consume the exact energy needed, making it highly efficient.
In the summer, the refrigeration circuit is capable of operating in reverse to provide cooling on demand.
Contact us for the no obligation quote for supply and installation of the air source heat pump.
