How do Heat Pumps work?
Heat pumps work by extracting low-grade heat from the atmosphere (via the air or the ground) and up-scaling this heat into useable heat energy using a well-proven refrigeration cycle (similar to a domestic refrigerator). This process takes place inside the heat pump unit itself and the harvested heat is output as hot water, which can then be used to provide central heating (via radiators or underfloor pipes) and domestic hot water (via a suitable hot water cylinder).
The beauty of a heat pump, and the main reason for it’s unrivalled efficiency, is that for every unit of heat energy input (typically electricity), up to 4 units are output. This up-scaling of energy is referred to as the CoP (Coefficient of Performance) and is what sets heat pumps apart from other more conventional forms of heating system.
If specified correctly, these systems can be connected directly to existing radiators and will run extremely efficiently. Alternatively, they can be designed to run with modern underfloor heating systems, which heat pumps are ideally suited for.
Illustration showing the cycle of a heat pump
