This renewable energy technology extracts warmth from outside your house and uses it to heat the home.
Used in place of gas or oil boilers, electric or LPG systems, heat pumps work like fridges in reverse. They pump heat from the outside into your home. Whilst air source heat pumps take heat from the air, ground source heat pumps extract heat from the soil (by running pipes underground). Amazingly this technology works even when it’s freezing outside! So if your boiler is nearing the end of its life you might want to think about a heat pump.
Heat pumps work best in well-insulated homes that warm up quickly, keep the heat in and require less energy to maintain a set temperature. A heat pump works really well with underfloor heating, but can also work with heat-pump specific radiators. The unit is positioned outside the house where there is adequate air flow. For a ground source heat pump pipes are installed underground in the garden, so for many this will not be an option; air source heat pumps are more common.
To help offset the initial cost, at present you should be eligible for payments over seven years from the Government Renewable Heat Incentive. For an air source heat pump this is between £1,341 and £1,586 per year, and for a ground source heat pump between £2405 and £2830 per annum. This RHI scheme is available for installations completed by 31st March 2022.
For more information regarding Air Source Heat Pumps read the article here (PDF)
If you’d like to speak to someone who has installed a Heat Pump, get in touch with us at info@chalcan.org.uk