Do Heat Pumps Work With Radiators?
As Ireland pushes towards a target of increased renewable energy consumption in homes, air to water heat pumps have taken centre stage. These renewable home heating devices extract air from the outside and transfer it indoors, comfortably warming the home without any need to burn fossil fuels like oil and gas. While this all sounds fantastic, there is some confusion surrounding the suitability of heat pumps in everyday homes and a common question that arises from this confusion is ‘do heat pumps worth with radiators?’.
Despite heat pumps not being the right option in all circumstances, they do work with radiators. To help you fully understand the compatibility of your radiators with heat pumps, let’s explore this further and discover the best heating methods for your home.
Using A Heat Pump With Your Existing Radiators
We tend to find that many homeowners and builders ask whether heat pumps work with radiators when they want to install an air to water heat pump but continue to use existing radiators. The short answer is that you can use a heat pump with your existing radiators and this can be a great way to cut back on cost, but there are a few considerations to keep in mind when switching the source.
Most radiators are designed to work with oil or gas boilers and therefore function by pumping high temperatures through a low surface area. Heat pumps, on the other hand, deliver heat at much lower temperatures. When combined with the surface area of your current radiators, these temperatures may not be enough for comfortable conditions to be created and the benefits of a heat pump to be fully realised.
There are ways to get around this and optimise the performance of your heat pump if you are set on using your existing radiators. One such option is to add additional radiators to particularly important rooms or reconsider the position of your existing radiators to target problem areas.
The Best Radiators For Heat Pumps
Alternatively, you may wish to utilise the fact that heat pumps work with radiators but switch up the radiators in your home to maximise the potential of heat pump technology. The best radiators for heat pumps are those that operate at low temperatures. These radiators will generally have larger surface areas and exchange heat more efficiently than standard hot water radiators.
Energy-efficient aluminium radiators are particularly perfect for use with heat pumps. Aluminium conducts heat much more effectively than other metals and therefore aluminium radiators can run at the low temperatures required by a heat pump. This also means that aluminium radiators heat up and cool down very quickly, reducing both running time and running costs in the long run.
Consider Underfloor Heating Instead
If you’re not tied to using a heat pump with radiators or are happy to make wider changes to your home heating system when undergoing a heat pump installation, consider underfloor heating instead. Underfloor heating is designed to run alongside heat pumps as this type of heating system functions at low temperatures. While radiators push heat to targeted areas of a room, underfloor heating provides a comfortable and consistent warmth across the entire floor area, subsequently eliminating the need for bulky radiators entirely.
There’s no need to worry about installing underfloor heating at the same time as a heat pump, either. While we do recommend you get all of the work done at once to maximise the benefits of your new home heating system, this isn’t always possible and underfloor heating can be retrofitted into existing spaces.
Get In Touch With Pipelife Eco
Though the answer to the question ‘do heat pumps work with radiators’ is yes, it’s important to optimise your home heating system for maximum efficiency. By considering whether radiators are the most effective option or whether underfloor heating is more suitable, you can fully leverage the benefits of heat pump technology and efficiently create comfortable conditions in your home.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch with the friendly team here at Pipelife Eco if you have any questions. Whether you want to transform your home heating system with a heat pump and underfloor heating or find out whether your existing radiators are compatible with heat pump technology, we can help.