Air Source Heat Pumps

Air source heat pumps are economical to purchase and easy to install, cost effective and reliable, and provide one of the most practical ways of applying renewable energy technology. The RXA range of air source heat pumps from Ferroli IAC are available in four sizes with outputs ranging from 7.4 kW to 20.80kW, while our commercial air source heat pump units cover every requirement up to 2000kW. In the simplest installations the air source heat pump units are mounted on an outside wall and produce hot water up to 55oC which is pumped around the heating system. The units are built in Italy and capitalize on the Ferroli Group's experience in manufacturing air conditioning units

The combination of green consumer preferences, planning requirements and more demanding building regulations are creating an ever-greater requirement for heating products that can be shown to reduce a building's carbon footprint.

Air source heat pumps are an extremely energy efficient way of heating a building or domestic dwelling. The units extract heat from the outside air and concentrate it into a usable form to heat the hot water that circulates in the heating system. As they are using energy to move the heat rather than consuming energy to create heat an air source heat pump has an extremely small carbon footprint.

The only energy used is electrical power to drive a water pump and compressor and low load electrical controls, one unit of electricity input can generate up to 3.5 units of usable thermal energy at certain outside ambient. This is called a Coefficient of Performance of 3.5 (COP 3.5) or 350% efficiency.

Ground Source Heat Pumps

Ground source heat pumps circulate a mixture of water and antifreeze around a loop of pipe - called a ground loop - which is buried in the garden. When the liquid travels around the loop it absorbs heat from the ground - used to heat radiators, under floor heating systems, fan coils and even hot water. It can also be used to pre-heat water before it goes into a more conventional boiler.

The length of the ground loop depends on the size of your home and the amount of heat you need - longer loops can draw more heat from the ground.

Normally the loop is laid flat, or coiled in trenches about two metres deep, but if there is not enough space in your garden you can install a vertical loop to a depth of up to 100 metres.

The efficiency of a ground source heat pump is measured by a coefficient of performance (COP) the amount of heat it produces compared to the amount of electricity needed to run it. A typical COP for a ground source heat pump is around 3.2 without any reductions for the type of distribution system.

The benefits of ground source heat pumps.

• Reduce your CO2 emissions: on average a ground source heat pump could save around 1.8 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year when replacing an oil boiler.
• Eliminate your fuel bills: ground source heat pumps run on electricity, so there's no need to pay for gas, oil or solid fuels to heat your home.
• Cut down on wasted electricity: heating your home with a ground source heat pump is much more efficient than using electric radiators.

For further information contact dpac for details on the HSW range of geothermal systems.