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So you're thinking about purchasing an Air Source Heat Pump and want to know more about how they work. They absorb heat from the outside air and boost it to a higher temperature which is then transferred to your heating system in your home. This could be radiators, underfloor heating or a combination of both. They work just like a fridge, but the opposite way around. Fridges pull in air, make it cold in a compressor and circulate it. Air Source Heat Pumps pull in the air but make it hot in the compressor and circulate it.
The heat that Air Source Heat Pumps extract from the air is constantly being renewed naturally, saving you on fuel costs and reducing harmful CO2 emissions. Heat can be extracted from the air in temperatures as low as -15 so you'll never need to worry about its performance in colder weather and winter.
They're super economical too, the efficiency of your Air Source Heat Pump can exceed 300%, this is because they transfer heat rather than generate it. So for every unit of electricity, it takes to power your heat pump, it produces three units of heat, and sometimes more. So it takes one unit of electricity to produce three units of heat with a heat pump, whereas traditional systems such as an electric boiler take one unit of electricity to produce one unit of heat.
Your pump has four main stages of operation.
Stage 1: Evaporator
This absorbs energy from the air and increases the temperature of the refrigerant and changes it from a liquid to a vapour.
Stage 2: Compressor
The vapour is compressed, increasing its temperature.
Stage 3: Condenser
The condenser releases the heat energy into your hot water and heating system.
Stage 4: Expansion Valve
The refrigerant cools down and turns back into a liquid ready for the process to start again.