Air Source Heat Pump

Atlantic's move into the Renewable Energy & Micro Generation market involves the design, installation and certification of Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP). Atlantic Contracting Ltd is an approved Air Source Heat Pump installer operating with the code of practice monitored by Real Assurance Scheme.

An air source heat pump absorbs heat from the air (instead of the ground) outside a building, and uses it to heat water in the building (air-water system, underfloor heating), or the air in the building (air-air, vent). It can extract heat from the air even when the outside temperature is as low as -15ºC.

An Air Source Heat Pump is a unit that stands outside your home and extracts heat from the air using the reverse refrigiration process to vent in hot air to your property. In a well insulated home, it can take the place of a central heating boiler and should last for over 20 years with low maintenance requirements. Atlantic prides itself with educating its clients on site, advising about after install care for the equipment it uses.

There are two main types of air source heat pump system:

-An air-to-water system distributes heat via your wet central heating system. Heat pumps work much more efficiently at a lower temperature than a standard boiler system would. So they are more suitable for underfloor heating systems or larger radiators, which give out heat at lower temperatures over longer periods of time.

-An air-to-air system produces warm air which is circulated by fans to heat your home. They are unlikely to provide you with hot water as well.

Heat Pumps operate in a similar way to a refrigerator – but in reverse. Heating and cooling are achieved by moving a refrigerant through various indoor and outdoor coils and components. A compressor, condenser, expansion valve and evaporator are used to change the state of refrigerant from a liquid to hot gas and from a gas to cold liquid.

Air Source Heat Pumps provide efficient heating and cooling for your home, when properly installed. An A.S.H.P can deliver one-and-a-half to three times more heat energy to your home than the electrical energy it consumes. This is possible because a heat pump moves heat rather than converting it from a fuel, like in combustion heating systems. Because air source units do not require any groundwork, installation is quick, easy and very cost-effective helping reduce increasing costs to your heating bills immediately.

ASHP can help to achieve significant fuel cost savings compared to direct electric heating systems (e.g. storage heating), gas boilers, oil boilers. They are an eco-friendly alternative to oil, gas and LPG. Although they require electricity to operate, the output generated is around 2.5 to 4.5 times the power input (known as the CoP or Co-efficient of Performance). If a renewable source of electricity is used, for example, photovoltaic panels, they are completely carbon neutral - and you would then not only benefit from the tariff payment for the heat pump, you would also benefit from the Feed-in Tariff scheme available for solar panel electrical generation.

They don't require any fuel storage space, unlike oil and LPG which require large storage tanks, there is also the peace of mind that there is no need to store large volumes of combustible fuel on the premises. They do not require a flue as there are no harmful emissions. The basic mechanism is similar to a refrigerator, with few moving parts and few things that can go wrong - all you need to do is keep the unit clear of leaves and debris.

If you have current plans to invest in an Air Source Heat Pump but can't decide which? when? how? what? or costing? get in touch with us and a friendly advisor will try and assist your needs. Just fill in the information in the contact us section.