What to expect when living with a heat pump

Living with a heat pump can be different from what you might be used to. They aren’t difficult to use, but it’s helpful to know what to expect. Here is what you need to know, brought to you by the HPA (Heat Pump Association).

Are you thinking of joining the 380,000 homes that have already installed a heat pump in the UK?

Heat pumps have been around for decades, something that not many homeowners know.

They are becoming ever more popular thanks to their high efficiency, sustainability, and ease of use. And with government grants of £7,500 towards air source heat pumps (ASHP’s) and ground source heat pumps (GSHP’s) in England & Wales, and up to £9,000 in Scotland with interest free loans, there’s even more incentive to switch over.

Thinking of installing a heat pump?

Are you trying to decide if a heat pump would be right for your home? This article considers the most important things to bear in mind when deciding if a heat pump would be a good fit for you.

As mentioned there are already 380,000 homes with heat pumps nationwide, and the Government has set a target for 600,000 annual installations by 2028. There are lots of reasons why you might be thinking of installing a heat pump.  

What is a heat pump?

A heat pump is a system for heating your home. It works by extracting heat from outside your house to heat the inside of your property.

Here is a quick overview of how they work:

1. Heat energy is extracted from the air, the ground or water. Even in cold weather, there is still warmth stored in the air or ground outside your home. This heat energy is then passed over a ‘heat exchanger,’ known as an evaporator, inside the heat pump to warm up a refrigerant liquid. As it warms up, the refrigerant liquid evaporates and turns into a gas.
2. The refrigerant gas then moves into a compressor which increases the pressure of the gas and makes the temperature rise.
3. This hot refrigerant then passes over another heat exchanger, known as the condenser, and returns to a liquid. In doing so, it transfers its heat energy to warm up water used in your radiators and hot water tank.
4. The pressure of the refrigerant liquid then reduces, and it passes back to the evaporator to restart the process.

www.heatpumps.org.uk