Heat pumps are an efficient alternative equipped with modern technology for heating, cooling and producing domestic hot water, through the efficient use of solar energy accumulated in underground water, in the soil or in the air, in the form of ecological heat.

Preparing the house with energy efficiency improvements and a high degree of thermal insulation is the key to achieving only very good results in heat pump heating.

Currently, there are more and more houses, industrial halls and even residential blocks that do heating and domestic hot water with the help of the heat pump, giving up gas or wood.

However, when it comes to choosing a particular type of heat pump, there are several factors to consider in order to buy the right model for your home.

The advantages of installing a heat pump

1. Energetic efficiency: Heat pumps transfer heat instead of generating it, making them more energy efficient than traditional heating systems.
2. Savings: Heat pumps can reduce heating and cooling bills because they use less energy to produce the same amount of heat as traditional systems.
3. Versatility: Heat pumps can both heat and cool a home, making them a great option for year-round temperature control.
4. Health, clean air: In our polluted cities, air quality is a major problem. Air pollution with carbon dioxide and noxes produced by burning gas in thermal power plants, wood or coal in stoves reduces our average life expectancy by up to 3 years, causing serious health problems in the respiratory system and leading to an explosion of asthma cases.
5. Environmentally friendly: Heat pumps do not burn fossil fuels to generate heat, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions, discourages cutting down forests for firewood, expanding coal mines or drilling for oil and gas. In short, they reduce exploitation.
6. Long life: Heat pumps have a longer life than traditional heating systems, which saves you from additional expenses in the long run
7. No noise: Heat pumps are designed to run quietly, making them an ideal choice for homes where quiet is important.
8. Low maintenance costs: Heat pumps require less maintenance and repairs than traditional heating systems, which can result in significant savings in time and money.
9. Safety: Heat pumps do not use gas or other fossil fuels that can cause fires, poisoning, suffocation or other potential accidents.

The fundamental principle of heat pump production

How does a heat pump work?

A heat pump is a device that uses heat transfer with the help of the refrigerant that it will go through in different state processes (evaporation or condensation), by means of a compressor considered the heart of the installation.

The refrigerant circulates through the pipes between the evaporator and the condenser, thus allowing the efficient transfer of thermal energy. It is important that the refrigerant reaches a high enough temperature when it enters the compressor that it can release heat. Vapors that are heated become liquid and release energy stored inside as heat to the heating system.

The heat produced is released into the home through the heating systems, be it fan coil units, floor or wall heating, or radiators or other available systems.

As a rule, the sources from which heat can be transferred are air, water or soil. In other words, heat is collected from these sources and then concentrated to be used inside the home. The most used types are air-to-water heat pumps, which transfer heat from the outside air to create the desired comfort in winter or summer.

It is important to note that heat pumps can be used in both heating and cooling mode, depending on the season and the needs of the users. At the same time, heat pumps can be used to prepare hot water that can then be used in the kitchen or bathroom.

Heat pumps are much more energy efficient than other traditional heating or cooling methods. However, the efficiency of the air-to-water model decreases as outside temperatures drop, meaning they are considered to be more efficient in warmer climates.

Components of a heat pump

The system of a heat pump consists of:

-an outdoor unit containing a compressor, an evaporator and a condenser
- an indoor unit containing an air conditioner or a fan coil unit
-refrigerant pipes connecting indoor and outdoor units
- an expansion valve that regulates the refrigerant flow
-a thermostat that controls the temperature provided by the system

Types of heat pumps

Heat pumps can be connected to different sources in order to produce heat. Each type has different characteristics and is based on a certain mode of operation.

The main types of heat pumps and what are the characteristics of each:

Air-water heat pump

The air-to-water heat pump uses outside air to heat the home, even when winter temperatures are quite low. It can be connected both to various terminal units (fan coils, radiators, etc.) and to the underfloor heating system and, at the same time, can be used to produce hot water.

Unlike other types, the air-to-water heat pump does not require a large investment, since the heat is taken directly from the air and there is no need to connect the pump to a water source or to drill the ground.

Benefits:

• It can be easily connected to other existing heating systems in the home;
• Low initial investment;
• It can be easily installed, just connected to the electrical and hydraulic installation;
• Can be used to produce warm water;
• It can be used to cool the home in the hot seasons;
• It can be used regardless of the surface of the home;
• Maintenance costs are minimal;
• Short heating time.

Disadvantages

• The home must be thermally insulated to prevent heat loss;
• Performance coefficient dependent on outside temperature;

According to the components and mode of operation, there are several types of heat pumps.

• monoblock
• split

In the version monoblock, all components on the refrigerant side are contained in the outdoor unit. In the outdoor unit, the refrigerant circulates in a closed circuit through the components on the refrigerant side. The heat from the outside air is converted and transferred via the condenser to the central heating pipe connecting the outdoor unit to the indoor unit. This indoor unit then uses an integrated or separate boiler and control unit to heat your home and prepare hot water. For cooling, the air/water heat pump reverses this operation.

In the version split, the refrigerant flows through a pipe from the outdoor unit to the indoor unit. As a result, the condenser is in the indoor unit and the compressor, evaporator and expansion valve are in the outdoor unit. The refrigerant pipe forms a closed circuit in which the refrigerant circulates, so the heat pump converts the energy from the outside air into heat to heat the house and the water in the boiler. The split version can also be cooled by reversing the operation.

Water-to-water heat pump

The water-to-water heat pump uses the underground water in the water table as a source to produce heat. At the same time, lake or river water can be used as an alternative heating source. Water-to-water heat pump requires drilling of vertical wells, for pumping and for return.

For its installation, it is necessary to drill the ground, so that the pump is correctly connected to the water source, depending on the direction of the groundwater flow. Otherwise, there may be a possibility of returned water returning to the pumping well.

Benefits:

• Low electricity consumption;
• Increased efficiency regardless of the outside temperature;
• It is compatible with other heating systems already existing in the home;
• Is silent.

Disadvantages

• Requires access to a water source;
• High costs for drilling wells and installing source-side equipment;
• It needs maintenance especially on the source side;
• An approval is required to be able to install the heat pump (in the case of legal entities);

Ground-water heat pump

The ground-water heat pump uses the energy of the ground (geothermal energy) to produce heat or to cool the home. It works on the basis of a closed circuit, consisting of the heat pump, geothermal drilling (vertical or horizontal collectors depending on the existing land surface and the geodetic survey carried out) and the home heating system.

Benefits:

• Maintains constant temperature of the source, resulting in high efficiency of the heat pump;
• It can be connected to different heating systems in the home;
• It can be used to cool the home during the summer.
• Is silent.

Disadvantages

• High initial investment, high costs with geothermal drilling;
• Legal entities need authorization to install this type of heat pump.

How to choose the heat pump - criteria to take into consideration

When it comes to choosing the right heat pump for the user's needs, there are several factors to consider. Regarding the performance of a heat pump, it must take into account the coefficient of performance (COP) and the seasonal coefficient of performance (SCOP). The higher the COP, the more efficient the heat pump is, consumes less energy and is cost-effective in terms of operating costs.

In the case of heat pumps that also operate in cooling mode, it is important to check the efficiency of the cooling equipment. Seasonal cooling efficiency is referred to as EER, SEER, or ESEER. The energy class (ERP) can also be determined for heat pumps, which means that the most cost-effective are those in class A+++.

Also, there are numerous factors that can affect the efficiency of a heat pump, such as the technology used, the auxiliary components of the designed installation (circulation pumps, electrical resistances, the sizing of the storage tank), the temperature requirement, the water required for the terminal units, but also the outside temperature ( in the case of air-to-water heat pumps).

Here are the main criterias which you must take into consideration if you are going to choose a heat pump:

• The area where you live and what are the minimum and maximum temperatures that have been recorded over time – the efficiency of a heat pump decreases when the difference between the temperature outside and inside increases or when frost occurs;
• The place where you install the heat pump - it must be protected from wind and rain; it is preferable to be mounted under the eaves; also, the heat pump must be oriented to the south to be more exposed to the sun's rays and to have increased efficiency for heating the house, and to the north if it is used to cool the home;
• The area and way of compartmentalizing the home, but also if it is thermally insulated;
• Access to resources: air, water, soil;
• The number of people in the home;
• Permanent or seasonal housing;
• Performance coefficient;
• The heating system to which the heat pump will be connected – for example, fan coils use a heating medium of 40 °C, underfloor heating 35-40 °C, while radiators use a heating medium of up to 55-60 °C.

All these criteria are then taken into consideration to calculate the heating requirement of the home. In this way, you will be sure to avoid undersizing or oversizing a heat pump. Specifically, undersizing refers to the fact that the heat pump will not be able to heat the home quickly and will not deliver the required temperature in a timely manner. This means that the heat pump will run longer and electricity costs will increase.

However, oversizing refers to the heat pump providing more heat than is needed. Although this fact is an advantage, the purchase costs can be high, despite the fact that the heat demand of the home is low. For example, for homes with low thermal needs, it is more cost-effective to purchase an air-to-water heat pump, as opposed to a ground-to-water type.

It is recommended that, in addition to the heat pump, you also invest in other equipment and accessories that will help you reduce maintenance costs and monthly bills. You can use puffers and boilers to store a larger volume of heating agent, without having to always turn on the heat pump.

You can use anti-vibration joints and anti-vibration supports to reduce the noise produced by the transmission of vibrations in the pipes, as well as a spare electrical resistance or voltage stabilizers. In this way, you can be sure that you have used the necessary protective measures for the proper operation of the heat pump.

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Hybrid connection system

Considering that the heat pump is an alternative to other methods of heating the home, it is important to know that you can easily combine them.

Considering that the heat pump is an alternative to other methods of heating the home, it is important to know that you can easily combine them.

Temperature control - can I control it remotely?

Many of the houses being built now are smart houses. You can automate almost anything, temperature, lights, water.

It makes sense to think now if you want your heat pump to be able to be controlled remotely from your mobile phone or tablet.

This connection can also mean that you will have easy access to diagnostics and error codes in the event of an operational problem.

It reduces the chances of needing a service engineer on site if you can see what the error and problem is with the heat pump.

Service – who installs and repairs the heat pump?

This is something that homeowners don't think about at first, but only when a problem arises, namely heat pump service. The revision of the heat pump is recommended to be done annually by qualified installers.

Your heat pump supplier should give you details of maintenance or service requirements and how to optimize the performance of your heating or cooling system.

Checks for the heat pump:

• Cleaning or changing filters.
• Cleaning the external unit and fans.
• Check that the outdoor unit is not covered by leaves, dust or dirt.
• Checks for installation leaks.
• Refrigerant check.
• Checking the indoor installation.
• Checking the thermostat and control unit.

Conclusion

Reducing your home's energy consumption and heat loss is something to consider whether you install a heat pump or not.

Ceiling, wall and floor insulation can add value to your home in many ways and help you improve the efficiency of your property.

If you already have good insulation in your house, it means that you are ready for a heat pump.

Heat pumps are becoming very popular for new build homes. With the right measures, existing houses can benefit from heating from renewable sources. We can't eliminate our national carbon emissions without reducing the carbon emissions from our own homes, and heat pumps are a very effective way of doing that.

Warning

Important – refrigerants used by industry today can be extremely polluting to the environment if leaked. That's why heat pump installation must be done by professionals and thoroughly checked, otherwise the reduction in carbon emissions can quickly be undone. A heat pump leaking refrigerant (often HFCs, i.e. hydrofluorocarbons) can cause considerable damage to the environment.

 

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