Everything you wanted to know and never dared to ask:
What is a heat pump?
A heat pump is a device that can provide heating, cooling and hot water for residential, commercial and industrial use.
Heat pumps take energy from the air, ground and water and turn it into heat or cool air.
Heat pumps are very energy efficient, and a sustainable way of heating or cooling buildings.
I’m planning to replace my gas boiler. Are heat pumps reliable?
Heat pumps are very reliable.
Plus, according to the International Energy Agency, they are three to five times more efficient than gas boilers. Around 20 million heat pumps are now used in Europe, and more will be installed to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.
From the smallest units to large industrial installations, heat pumps operate through a refrigerant cycle which allows to capture and transfer energy from air, water and ground to provide heating, cooling and hot water. Due to its cyclical nature, this process can be repeated over and over again.
This is not a new discovery – yhe principle underlying the way heat pumps work goes back to the 1850s. Various forms of heat pumps have been operating for decades.
How environmentally friendly are heat pumps?
Heat pumps take most of the energy they need from the surroundings (air, water, the ground).
This means it is clean and renewable.
Heat pumps then use a small amount of driving energy, usually electricity, to turn the natural energy into heating, cooling and hot water.
This is one reason why a heat pump and solar panels is a great, renewable combination!
Heat pumps are expensive, aren’t they?
When compared to fossil-based heating solutions, heat pumps can still be quite pricey at the moment of purchase, with average upfront costs two to four times higher than gas boilers.
However, this evens out over the lifetime of the heat pump due to their energy efficiency, which is three to five times higher than that of gas boilers.
This means that you could save over €800 per year on your energy bill, according to this recent analysis of the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Do heat pumps work when it’s freezing outside?
Heat pumps operate perfectly at temperatures well below zero. Even when the outside air or water feels ‘cold’ to us, it still contains huge amounts of useful energy.
A recent study found that heat pumps can be successfully installed in countries with minimum temperatures above -10°C, which includes all European countries.
Air-source heat pumps move energy in the air from outside to inside, keeping the house warm even when it’s freezing outdoors. During the summer, they move hot air from inside to outside to heat the house.
On the other hand, ground-source heat pumps transfer heat between your home and the outside ground. Unlike the air, the temperature of the ground remains consistent throughout the year.
In fact, heat pumps are widely used in the coldest parts of Europe, satisfying 60% of the total heating needs of buildings in Norway and more than 40% in Finland and Sweden.
The three Scandinavian nations also have the highest number of heat pumps per capita in the world.
Do heat pumps also provide cooling?
Yes, they do! Despite their name, heat pumps can also cool. Think of it as a reverse process: in the cold season, heat pumps absorb heat from the chilly external air and transfer it inside. In the hot season, they release outside the heat pulled from warm indoor air, cooling your home or building. The same principle applies to refrigerators, which work in the same way as a heat pump to keep your food cool.
All of this makes heat pumps very convenient – home and business owners do not need to install separate equipment for heating and cooling. Not only does this save time, energy and money, but it also takes up less space.
I live in an apartment, can I still install a heat pump?
Any type of home, including high-rise buildings, is suitable for the installation of heat pumps, as this UK study shows.
Are heat pumps noisy?
The indoor part of a heat pump generally has sound levels between 18 and 30 decibels – about the level of someone whispering.
Most heat pump outdoor units have a sound rating of around 60 decibels, equivalent to a moderate rainfall or normal conversation.
The noise level at a distance of 1 meter from the Hien heat pump is as low as 40.5 dB(A).
Will my energy bill increase if I install a heat pump?
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), households that switch from a gas boiler to a heat pump save significantly on their energy bills, with average annual savings ranging from USD 300 in the United States to nearly USD 900 (€830) in Europe*.
This is because heat pumps are highly energy efficient.
To make heat pumps even more cost efficient for consumers, EHPA calls for governments to ensure the electricity price is no more than twice the price of gas.
Electric home heating paired with improved energy efficiency and smart system interaction for demand-responsive heating, could ‘reduce the annual consumer fuel cost, saving consumers up to 15% of the total fuel cost in single-family homes, and up to 10% in multi-occupancy buildings by 2040’ according to this study published by the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC).
*Based on 2022 gas prices.
Will a heat pump help to reduce my home’s carbon footprint?
Heat pumps are critical for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions and improving energy efficiency. By 2020, fossil fuels had met more than 60% of global heat demand in buildings, accounting for 10% of global CO2 emissions.
In Europe, all the heat pumps installed by the end of 2023 avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to removing 7.5 million cars from the roads.
As more and more countries are scrapping fossil fuel heaters, heat pumps, powered with energy from clean and renewable sources, have the potential to reduce total Co2 emissions by at least 500 million tonnes by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency.
Besides improving air quality and slowing global warming, this would also address the issue of the cost and security of gas supplies in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
How to determine the payback period of a heat pump?
For this, you need to calculate the operational cost of your heat pump per year.
EHPA has a tool that can help you with this!
With My Heat Pump, you can determine the cost of electrical power consumed by your heat pump annually and you can compare it with other sources of heat, like gas boilers, electric boilers or solid fuel boilers.
Link to the tool: https://myheatpump.ehpa.org/en/
Link to the video: https://youtu.be/zsNRV0dqA5o?si=_F3M8Qt0J2mqNFSd
Post time: Dec-04-2024