Pipelife Eco’s Air To Water Heat Pump FAQ
Here at Pipelife Eco, we’re asked a range of important questions about our air to water heat pumps. With this in mind, we’ve put together the following handy guide that answers all of our most popular FAQs. Let’s start with the basics…. What actually is an air to water heat pump?
What Is A Heat Pump?
An air to water heat pump is an environmentally friendly technology that extracts heat from the outside air and transforms it into usable heat to be circulated around the home and hot water system. An air to water heat pump provides an energy efficient way of using existing heat from the outside air to heat our homes, helping to reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 50% compared to traditional boiler led systems.
How Does An Air To Water Heat Pump Work?
An air to water heat pump works by transforming energy from the outside air into usable heat. This is done via a refrigeration process and vapour compression cycle. In the same way that a fridge extracts heat from its inside, an air to water heat pump takes outside air to be transformed into heat energy that can be used for heating people’s homes.
Are There Different Types Of Heat Pumps?
There are two main types of air to water heat pump. These are a split heat pump or a monobloc heat pump. As you can probably guess from the name, a monobloc heat pump consists of a singular outdoor unit in which the compressor, heat exchanger and water side of the refrigeration cycle are all contained. A split heat pump on the other hand, is made up of an indoor unit and outdoor condenser unit. The type of air to water heat pump required depends on the homeowner’s budget and the layout of the property.
Do Heat Pumps Heat And Cool?
Heat pumps do provide both heating and cooling, and this is one of their main benefits. When a heat pump is in cooling mode it works the opposite way to when it is in heating mode, by drawing heat outwards towards the exterior rather than bringing hot air into the home.
Can You Replace A Gas Boiler With A Heat Pump?
It’s perfectly possible to replace a gas boiler with a heat pump considering the fact that an air to water pump provides all of your heating needs for the home. In fact, you’ll see huge benefits in switching your boiler for a heat pump, from saving money to making your household a whole lot greener.
Are Heat Pumps Noisy?
Noise is a common concern that many people have when they first hear about an air to water heat pump. Whilst an air to water heat pump makes some level of noise when running, this is whisper quiet. In fact, the Midea M monobloc unit that we supply at Pipelife Eco produces only 35D dB(A) sound pressure level at 3 meters. Additionally, if you have a split heat pump then the outdoor unit can be located further away from the property, and tends to be quieter anyway.
Are Heat Pumps Worth The Cost?
Another question that we’re often asked by those considering installing an air to water heat pump is are they worth the cost? Do you really save money with a heat pump? Luckily this is an easy answer. Whilst there will be an initial expense to install the air to water heat pump, you could save as much as 60% on your energy bills, compared to relying on a traditional oil or gas boiler system. This is because an air to water heat pump is so much more efficient than a boiler, producing as much as 5KW of energy for every 1KW of electricity used to power the air to water heat pump.
Why Do Quotes From Suppliers Vary So Much?
Some suppliers will offer cheap solutions that look similar, however this is a warning sign that the quality has been compromised. Suppliers may cut corners by reducing the quantity or quality of pipe or reducing the amount of thermostats installed which limits your ability to control the temperature of each room individually. With this in mind, you should always stick to a trusted supplier and avoid taking up the cheapest quote which is likely to cause problems further down the line.
As Ireland’s leading supplier of thousands of home heating solutions, you can rely on Pipelife Eco for heating your home efficiently. If you are interested in installing an air to water heat pump in your home, or if you have any further questions about the technology, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the team today.