Is An Air To Water Heating System Right For My Home?
Installing an air to water heating system is a cost-effective choice that can help make your home more energy efficient, whilst improving indoor air quality and helping you to save money on your energy bills.
Sounds pretty good, right? So how does air to water heating work?
An air to water heating system works by extracting heat from the outside air, and converting it into usable heat for the home via a refrigeration process and vapour compression cycle. Effectively, it works like a fridge but in reverse, transforming outside air into usable heat.
This type of heating system is suitable for most modern homes, and can sometimes be retrofitted into older homes. However, it is not always the best fit for all properties In order to determine if an air to water system is the best option for your property, it’s important to consider the following factors:
How Well Insulated Is Your Home?
This is the key question to consider when deciding if an air to water heating system is right for you. This is because the heat pump system works best when generating heat at a lower temperature, rather than working overtime. It’s for this reason that the system works superbly in well insulated homes, and less efficiently in homes that let the cold in easily or have single glazed windows. If your property isn’t well insulated, and you would like to install a heat pump, it’s definitely worth considering retrofitting works to improve insulation and make your house heat pump ready. In order to be eligible for an SEAI energy grant towards the cost of installing a heat pump, the property has to have low heat loss. You will need to contact an SEAI technical advisor who will be able to advise you on whether your property is a good match for the system, and whether or not it is eligible for the grant.
How Much Space Do You Have?
All heat pumps will require a small area of outdoor space to house the exterior unit, and some systems will also require an indoor unit. A monobloc air to water heat pump houses all components in a single outdoor unit requiring no indoor space, whilst a split heat pump consists of an exterior inverter unit that’s connected to an interior hydraulic unit. So, when deciding if an air to water heating system is right for you, it’s important to assess if you have the necessary outdoor space to house the unit. The new design of the Hitachi split combi heat pump is designed to help minimise the space required by including an integrated water tank.
What Is Your Current Heating System Like?
Heat pumps are pretty versatile meaning they can work alongside your existing radiator system, however they work most efficiently when paired with underfloor heating. This is because underfloor heating requires a lower water temperature than radiators do. Your existing heating system shouldn’t affect your ability to get a heat pump as they can either work in conjunction with the current system, or be used to replace it. For example, air to water heat pumps can be used to replace a traditional gas or oil boiler. As an air to water heating system is a lot more energy efficient, this switch could help you reduce your annual energy bills by more than half.
The Next Steps To Take
If you’ve decided you want an air to water heating system what do you do next? Before contacting an installer, you’ll need to get a Building Energy Rating (BER) assessment completed by an independent technical advisor. This assesses the energy efficiency of your building, looking at factors including insulation and the age of the property. This will give you a good idea of whether an air to water heating system may be suitable for your home, including if you meet the criteria for an SEAI grant. You may need to make a few upgrades to your home, such as improving insulation before looking at air to water heat pump options. From there, the Pipelife team will help you select the best heat pump to suit your requirements and guide you through the rest of the installation process.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us for more information on air to water heat pumps, or with any questions you may have regarding your home heating system.