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How Does It Work?

Air Source Heat Pumps – a renewable heating technology

An air source heat pump, sometimes known as an air-to water heat pump, utilizes a gas within a refrigeration cycle to transform low-grade energy from the air outside into high-grade energy for heating and hot water in our homes and work places. In very simple terms it is a fridge in reverse.

To create this cycle, linked by pipe work are the four main components that make up a heat pump; a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve and an evaporator. The process is explained in more detail below with the aid of the diagram illustrating the cycle the refrigerant gas makes.

A scroll compressor is used to compress refrigerant within the unit to increase both its temperature and pressure.

The refrigerant then passes through a condenser where energy is transferred to the heating system water and the refrigerant is turned from a high-pressure vapour into a high pressure liquid.

The liquid refrigerant then passes through an expansion valve that lowers its pressure and temperature.
With the refrigerant evaporating and at a very low temperature it passes through a heat exchanger. At this stage the refrigerant collects large amounts of low-grade energy from the air that is blown over the heat exchanger by the fan, causing it to boil and return to a vapour form.

This continuous cycle of changing the state of the refrigerant from liquid to vapour allows the heat pump to extract the maximum energy from the air. In scientific terms it is the latent heat properties of the gas that we are able to harness and extract through this process.

The video below further demonstrates air source heat pumps

An air source heat pump (ASHP) can reliably supply significantly more energy than it uses allowing a reduction in the running costs of many homes – even at temperatures as low as -20°C.

With no local C02 emissions, an air source heat pump can help to reduce impact on the environment

Air Source Heat Pumps are unique as they have no major parts outside exposed to the elements, which means that the organs compressor and circulation pumps are all internal. The intake fan is the only feature which is external and kept at optimum working temperature with the support an internal defrost cycle system ensuring 365 day operation in all seasons. The internal defrost system uses the hot water collected by the Air Source heat pump as opposed to direct electric. These types of systems can last in excess of 20 years. The recommended maintenance for the outdoor unit is simply to hose it down once a year. In coastal areas this process should be repeated each season.