Air Source Heat Pumps – Separating Fact From Fiction Part 3

In the third part of our blog series we will answer more of the most common questions surrounding air source heat pumps installation and maintenance!

This blog will cover the installation and running costs of Air Source Heat Pumps.

WHAT SIZE OF AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMP WOULD I NEED?

That very much depends on many factors and why a full heatless calculation should be performed prior to installation. Size of a property, insulation levels, age of property and choice of heat omitters will have a huge impact. There are so many ASHP Sales people now who are pressure selling to homeowners without even carrying out the most basic Heatloss calculations. Be warned, get the sizing of the ASHP wrong and it could be one of the most costly mistakes you will make.

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.

HOW MUCH DOES AN ASHP COST TO INSTALL?

In very general terms, for the smallest unit (8KW) unit and 200L preplumbed cylinder to be supplied and fitted alongside the MCS paperwork and certificates for RHI compliance you would be looking at anything between £8,0000 and £11,500. We would always advise customers if being quoted significantly less of more than this then be VERy wary of the company. Always do your research. A reputable company will be able to provide you with their insurance details, MCS/HIES accreditation details AND provide you with several ASHP installations they have carried out. Many of our customers are only too happy to show our potential customers their installation and speak about their new investment (or at least speak on the telephone/email).

HOW MUCH DOES AN ASHP COST TO RUN?

The running costs have a direct relation with how the unit is run and your lifestyle. Typically an ASHP should provide 3 kw of energy (heat and hot water) for every 1 kw of electricity consumed to run the system.

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