A Homeowner’s Guide to Heat Pump Hot Water Systems
April 7, 2020Heat pump hot water systems are essential in our homes. They provide us the water we need whenever the surrounding temperature is cold and freezing. Moreover, these systems also heat our house to keep us away from the chilling effects of a low-temperature environment.
How Do They Work?
Heat pump systems get their energy from free renewable sources outside of our homes. As mentioned, this type of system intends to heat our house and produce hot water for our taps and showerheads.
Electrical heat pumps use a compressor to draw heat from a low-temperature source like external air or ground to heat the interior of the building. A heat pump can produce three to four units of heat for every unit of electricity consumed, which makes the heating of the building and water possible. This is in comparison with storage heaters and boilers, which can only produce heat according to their available fuel source.
A lot of heat pump systems have integrated heating controls that can help you match your space heating and hot water schedules to the living patterns in your home. With this type of control, you can expect heat and hot water to come out if they are required. Otherwise, heat and hot water will not be produced if they are not needed. This feature saves you about 20% of your total energy consumption.
What are their Types?
Heat pump systems can draw heat from different sources.
- Air Source:Most heat pump systems extract and draw heat from external air. They do not require underground piping to source heat, which makes them cheaper and easier to install compared to ground source heat pump systems.
- Ground Source: This type of heat pump system is less common than the previous type of heat pump system. A ground source heat pump system uses the earth as a source of renewable heat. The collector pipework draws the heat from the ground and transfers it to the heat pump. This pipework can be laid out horizontally at a shallow depth below the surface. It can also be installed vertically to a greater depth.
- Water Source: Same with ground source heat pump system, it is also less common than an air source heat pump system. This type of heat pump system also uses collector pipework to extract heat from open water like lakes, rivers, or streams. Both ground and water source heat pump systems require additional complexity and cost for the installation of the collector pipework.
What is Best for Me?
Choosing the best heat pump hot water system will still depend on your practical and budgetary limitations. Air source heat pump systems are suitable for those who have limited space. A ground source or water source heat pump system, on the other hand, is the best for those who have a large garden or are near a water source.
One aspect that may affect the performance of your hot water is your home itself. Heat pump systems can only work efficiently and effectively if your home has low heat loss. To make your heat pump system effective, you must maintain good insulation by reducing draughts in your home and eliminating heat losses through open chimneys.
These facts and details about heat pump hot water systems can help you determine the best one for your home. To know more about heat pump hot water systems, just call us at Abundant Hot Water and we will supply you with more information about them.
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