Ground water air source heat pumps

Air source heat pump, Verwood

Heat pumps extract energy from the ground, air or water and “compress” the heat to a higher temperature which is useful to heat your home. They are considered renewable as the heat that they extract is solar energy that has been absorbed by the ground, air or water that is used as a heat source.

The pump actually uses electricity, but typically the pump converts each kilowatt of electricity into more kilowatts of heat. An Air Source heat pump will convert 1 kilowatt of electricity to around 2 kilowatts of heat, (1:2), and a ground source heat pump will convert 1 kilowatt of electricity to around 3 kilowatts of heat (1:3).

Heat pumps are best used in new or very well insulated properties, and can be a good alternative to electric heating in existing properties. Because heat pumps only raise the temperature of the heating to a certain amount, they are also recommended for use with underfloor heating, where the operating temperature of the heating system is lower than that of a radiator system.