Air SOurce Heat Pumps in Leeds, York, Harrogate and the surrounding areas of Yorkshire

Heat your home with energy absorbed from the air around you

Air source heat pumps absorb heat from the outside air. They take energy from the air using an Air Handling Unit. This box is situated outside and contains a large fan that draws air into the unit, transferring the energy in the air through large heat exchangers. From there, the process is the same as a Ground Source Heat Pump.

They work like a fridge by moving energy from one place to another. For example, a bottle of wine brought from your local supermarket is at room temperature. If you put it in your fridge and wait a few hours it will be cold enough to drink. If you touch the back of your fridge during that time you will feel heat. The fridge has taken the low temperature energy out of the wine, compressed it up to a higher temperature and in effect has warmed the kitchen up slightly. By using the same process Heat Pumps remove solar energy stored in either the earth, air of water around your building, compress it to a higher temperature and transfer it into your central heating system and hot water tank.

The efficiency of air source heat pump systems is measured by a coefficient of performance (CoP) - the amount of heat they produce compared to the amount of electricity needed to run them.

Is an air source heat pump suitable for my home?

To tell if an air source heat pump is right for you, there are a few key questions to consider:
• Do you have somewhere to put it? You'll need a place outside your house where a unit can be fitted to a wall or placed on the ground. It will need plenty of space around it to get a good flow of air.
• Is your home well insulated? Since air source heat pumps produce less heat than traditional boilers, it's essential that your home is insulated and draught proofed well for the heating system to be effective.
• What fuel will you be replacing? The system will pay for itself much more quickly if it's replacing an electricity, oil, Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) or coal heating system than a mains gas one.
• What type of heating system do you want? Air source heat pumps are much better at powering underfloor heating systems or warm air heating than radiator-based systems. This is due to the fact that they operate much more efficiently at lower temperatures.
• Is the system intended for a new development? Combining the installation with other building work can reduce the cost of installing the system.