Heat Pumps, are they worth it?

Currently, heating costs are rising year after year and as a result, the use of renewable energy sources is becoming more and more popular. One system that offers such possibility is the Heat Pump. What is a heat punp? How does it work? Can it be installed in every home?

Heat pumps - what are they?

A heat pump is an electrically powered device that delivers warm water to buildings, which is used to heat homes, and secures the availability of hot water in houses for daily use. Heat pumps can also provide cold water that can be used to cool down buildings. Heat pumps are also popular air conditioning systems, which, instead of providing water, can also provide warm or cold air. Heat pumps can gather energy from renewable sources, such as underground (geothermal) or – the most popular – open-air.

Heat pumps - how do they work?

A heat pump's mechanism of operation is simple and very similar to the way a refrigerator works, but in the opposite way. While a refrigerator absorbs heat from the food products placed inside it and releases it into the environment, keeping its internal area cool, the heat pump takes heat from its surroundings and transfers it into the building. One of the most important elements of the installation is the refrigerant, that is to say, the liquid circulating inside the entire system. The refrigerant boils at low pressure and absorbs heat from its surroundings when there are low outside temperatures. Then the pressure and temperature in the system increase, the refrigerant changes its form to gas in the compressor, and it eventually goes into the condenser, where it gives heat to the system. For such an installation to work properly, as well as for refrigerators, electricity is required. But contemporary heat pump systems only need about 25-30 percent of such external energy, which they use to drive the compressor. The other 70-75 percent of the heat energy, which is produced by the pump, comes from its surroundings.

Types of heat pumps

In each heat pump, we can distinguish the so-called lower and upper heat sources. The most common lower sources are air, soil and water, while the upper ones are the installations located in a building, which uses the collected energy, for example, a water heating system filled with water, or a liquid/air (supply) heating system. Following this concept, we can also find ground-to-water, ground-to-air, water-to-water, water-to-air pumps, etc.

Heat pumps - why are they worth it?

There are many reasons why you should invest in a heat pump, even though the investment may not be the cheapest. Much depends on whether it will be used to heat an already existing house or it will be installed as part of a completely new construction. You can also obtain grants for heat pumps under the Clean Air program, as well as from local municipal or city programs. (Applicable in Poland, other countries may have similar programs based on their local grants).
Here are the most important reasons why you should take this type of heating into consideration:

Financial reasons

quick investment return –the investment recovery time is estimated at 5-7 years,
the cost of operating heat pumps is only related to the usage of electricity to keep the system running, and not related to water heating,
easy to obtain a loan or grant for the installation of a heat pump (applicable in Poland, for other countries it is necessary to check with local establishments), as it is a pro-ecological investment; it is assumed that for every 1 kW of electricity consumed by the pump, up to 5 kW of green energy can be obtained,
lower house building costs, there is no need to build a chimney, storage areas for gas, oil, etc.,
Heat pumps are some of the cheapest heat sources in operation,
Heat pumps have very long lifespans, when properly installed they can last up to 50 years, hence it is a long-term investment,
Heat pumps, in addition to heating, can also cool buildings during the summer, so there is no need to install additional air conditioning systems.

Ecological reasons

Heat pumps are an environmentally friendly heating source - although they require electricity (which usually comes from coal in Poland) it is a very small share,
you can easily power heat pumps from other renewable energy sources, for example with solar panels, from which we can obtain zero-cost and zero-emission heating.

Other reasons worth noting

Heat pumps do not require constant maintenance, which biofuel-driven furnaces do,
Heat pumps can be the only heat source used for heating a building
Heat pumps can be easily connected to other heating installations that use different energy and heat sources, such as solar panels, gas or electric boilers, creating hybrid systems.

What kind of heat pump to choose?

For this question, it is best recommended to consult an experienced installer. The choice is wide and the technology used in this industry develops very fast. Until recently, ground pumps were considered to the most efficient, but more and more often, air pumps are becoming as efficient. It all depends on our needs, the construction’s surroundings and financial resources.

Air source heat pumps

Air source heat pumps use the energy located in the air around a house. They are very easy to install - both inside and outside a house. There are also split systems, which consist of an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. In the case of an air source heat pump installation, warmth is usually distributed around the house through a central water heating system or an air heating system, which uses fan coil units. Air source heat pumps are most used where there is not enough space to install ground pumps.

Ground source heat pumps

In the case of ground source heat pumps, part of the installation is placed underground, which requires some space outside the building; whereas the heat pump itself must be located inside the building, hence a room for the unit must be available. Nevertheless, a ground source heat pump is a much more stable and, consequently, more economical system than an air source heat pump because the temperature in the ground fluctuates less than it does in the open air.

If you are considering heating your home or business with a heat pump, do not hesitate to contact us. We will advise you on which heat pump to choose and will take care of every single detail of the installation for you.