Heat Pumps - Whitewaters Energy

A heat pump is a device which takes low grade, renewable heat, such as that found in the ground, air and water around us, and converts it into useable heat for space and water heating in the home.

This conversion is achieved using an evaporator, compressor and condenser, in a system similar to that found in a household fridge. The process is extremely energy efficient. For every unit of electricity that the heat pump uses, it generates 3-5 units of heat. In other words, the system is up to 500% efficient.

Using a heat pump is therefore environmentally sound and also provides large savings on running costs, especially if used to replace oil or LPG boilers.

Heat pumps produce hot water, which is slightly cooler than that produced by conventional boilers, and are therefore best suited to use with underfloor heating systems rather than traditional radiators.

Collection of the low grade heat to supply the heat pump normally uses one of two methods, air source or ground source

The diagrams below show the different methods of heat collection: