Air Source Heat Pumps – Separating Fact From Fiction Part 2

In the secondpart of our blog series we will answer more of the most common questions surrounding airsource heatpumps installation and maintenance!

In the FIRST blog we spoke about how airsource heatpumps work, the correct sizing and the general noise of a system. This blog will cover how ASHP run in the winter and with different heat emitters.

WE HAVE HEARD THAT ASHP DON’T WORK IN EXTREME TEMPERATURES, HOW DOES AN ASHP WORK IN THE WINTER?

An ASHP harnesses the natural warmth in the ambient air to initiate the refrigeration cycle with the process of releasing energy as the refrigerant transforms from a low pressure low temperature liquid to high pressure high temperature vapour. The opposite to how a refrigerator operates. The refrigerant gas that is used in most ASHP has a boiling point of around -40 degrees Celsiuss, therefore can work to exceptionally low external temperatures.

I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT I WILL NEED TO HAVE UNDERFLOOR HEATING THROUGHOUT MY PROPERTY OTHERWISE AN ASHP WON’T WORK, CAN’T I JUST HAVE RADIATORS?

Yes you can. There is a misconception that ASHP only works with underfloor heating. It simply is not true. Most retrofit installations are replacing an existing oil or gas boiler with radiators and an ASHP. Like with an ASHP, it is important that the radiators are sized correctly. This is something we would be happy to assist our customers with and would be part of the specification survey.

Tune in next week for the next in the season of blogs.