Plumbing or heating systems rarely get a second thought. That is until something breaks down or you are planning a major upgrade to your home.
If you need to replace your current heating and hot water system, are undertaking a new-build, or want to add green technology to your existing set-up, there are a number of ways to make your home more sustainable.
The technology you use will depend on your situation and requirements, but one thing is for sure, everything you can do to lower your carbon footprint is a step in the right direction.
The CIPHE is encouraging homeowners and developers to consider sustainable alternatives to traditional heating and hot water systems where possible.
Fact: Heat pumps need less space than two wheelie bins stood side-by-side. That’s around 1.5 metres wide.
Fact: Heat pumps work in all types of homes and still work well in those that have less insulation. When you speak to one of our heat pump installers, they’ll assess your home and set your heat pump to work with your house type and heating needs.
Fact: Heat pumps need no more maintenance than a gas boiler. Just like with a gas boiler, we recommend an annual service for your heat pump.
Fact: In England and Wales, you can get up to £7,500 of government funding towards a heat pump (other funding options available for Scotland and Northern Ireland).
Heat pump diagram showing the four stages of the refrigeration cycle.
Heat pumps take in heat from the air or ground or sometimes water, transferring it to a heat exchanger that contains a liquid refrigerant. This refrigerant absorbs heat from the outside and evaporates, turning it into a low-pressure, low-temperature gas.
The gas is transferred to an electrically powered compressor that compresses the refrigerant. This compression increases the pressure of the gas, which raises the gas temperature.
The hot gas reaches the heat exchanger, where it’s circulated and transfers its heat to a cold water circuit. This causes the water to heat up as it absorbs heat from the gas.
By transferring heat to the water circuit, the refrigerant cools down enough to turn it back into a liquid.
The cooled refrigerant moves through an expansion valve, which lowers the pressure and allows it to absorb more heat energy. From there it’s pumped back into the heat exchanger to repeat the cycle.
In air source heat pumps the cold refrigerant starts its journey in the evaporator. It absorbs heat energy from outside air blown across a heat exchanger using fans.
Although the air is cool in the winter, there’s still plenty of energy available because of the large volume of air that passes over the heat exchanger.
Ground source heat pumps gather heat energy from the ground by circulating a water-antifreeze mixture (known as ‘brine’) through underground pipes. This is pumped to a heat exchanger inside the house or an outbuilding.
Pipes are either laid horizontally over a large area, or sometimes go down deep boreholes in the ground. The brine passes through the heat exchanger, transferring the heat to the refrigerant, which continues its journey to the compressor.