Guest Blog by Will Rossiter – Mitsubishi Electric
Air Source Heat Pumps
I’m sure you’ve no doubt heard or read things lately that have mentioned air source heat pumps and it’s got you asking – what is an air source heat pump? I’ve written this article to explain what one is, how it works and the benefits of installing one.
At first glance heat pumps might seem like a futuristic technology with complicated mechanics behind it. Well, this couldn’t be further from the case, in fact, heat pump technology has been around for over 50 years. The simplest way to describe how one works is to use the fridge analogy. Your fridge removes heat energy from the food you place inside it and by a process call the vapour compression cycle, this heat is then expelled out the back of the fridge, the process is very efficient and can be put to good use.
In a heat pump energy is taken out of the ambient air and using the same process as a fridge but in reverse. This low grade heat energy is harnessed, upgraded and transferred to your heating system. The transfer takes place using a plate heat exchanger which passes the heat energy into the hot water circuit that circulates inside the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Now there are a few frequently asked questions that I’d like to address which will hopefully put your mind and ease and drive your interest further. The first is how much sound do our air source heat pumps produce? At Mitsubishi we have used years of experience in the industry to develop our award winning range the Ultra Quiet Ecodan. The sound level generated is the same as the background noise you would hear in a library, so I think you’ll agree that’s pretty quiet!
Another question is will it work when it is really cold? Our units circulate a refrigerant that boils at -51oC which means that even on the coldest days our heat pumps will be able to extract heat from the air and upgrade it to heat your home. To give even more evidence and emphasize this point, heat pumps are the most common heating technology in Scandinavia…
Lastly, what is the benefit of an air source heat pump? There are two main benefits to heat pumps, firstly reducing your annual heating bills and secondly reducing your carbon footprint. Its estimated that replacing a gas boiler with a heat pump will save 850kg per year with a saving of 12,750kg over the life span of the unit. If you are replacing an electric heating, oil or LPG, and you used the systems as they are intended, then you would see a noticeable reduction in your annual heating bills. The difference between gas and a heat pump is much smaller and in most instances the costs are very similar, if not a little cheaper to use a heat pump. A point worth noting though is that you are future proofing your home as well, so you will reap the benefits of a heat pump over the coming years.
Heat of the future
Don’t just take it from me that heat pumps are the future of heating our homes, the technology has the backing of our brand ambassador George Clarke who says – “the way we design, build, heat, power and recycle our homes needs to change, and change quickly, and renewable heating is an important part of our future. I’m therefore delighted to associate myself with Ecodan, the market leading brand of heat pumps built here in the UK and which can reduce energy bills and lower emissions for almost any home”
For more information, please get in touch with the team at Switched On Portsmouth for more information and guidance on how to get started.
By Will Rossiter
