Ground, Air and Water Source Heat Pumps

Heat pumps absorb available heat from the ground, air or water and send it to another place at a higher temperature. There are different types of heat pumps which can take the heat from ground, water or air. Heat pumps are effective solutions at providing the heating / hot water in different buildings, domestic, commercial and retail premises including businesses and residential complexes.

How do heat pumps work?

In heating applications, heat is removed from ambient air or from water, soil or bedrock using a heat ‘collection loop’ and delivered to where it is needed, usually into the heating and hot water systems of the house. Heat pumps need electricity to run but they use less electrical energy than the heat energy they generate. This makes them much more efficient than other electrical heating options. Typically you only need one unit of electricity to deliver two to three units of heat with a heat pump. Because heat pumps need electricity to run there will still be some resulting carbon dioxide emissions, although these can be lower than for other heating systems.

At the centre of a heat pump system is a refrigeration system. Ironically, this is an efficient provider of heat as well as cooling. This refrigeration cycle uses heat exchangers; one which absorbs the heat and another which rejects it. The heat which is absorbed is moved through a closed circuit of pipes by the refridgerant liquid. This liquid has a very low boiling point which means it evaporates and condenses at low temperatures – This is a constant process while the compressor is running and circulating the liquid and means that both heat and cooling are produced in the same machine at the same time. The cooled vapour is drawn back into the compressor where the process starts again and the heat produced is taken by the heat exchanger to heat your building or hot water.

From reading this you will be aware that there is a certain amount of electricity required to run this system, however the benefits you will see will out weigh this.

Heat pumps are most likely to save money and carbon dioxide when they are used to replace electric, LPG or coal heating systems. Also, heat pumps work better with heating methods like under floor heating as this covers a large surface area.

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• Air Source Heat Pumps
• Ground Source Heat Pumps
• Water Source Heat Pumps

Heat pumps produce more heat energy than the electric energy used to drive them. In fact, heat pumps will often provide 4 units of heat for each unit of electricity that is fed into the system. This is called the COP (coefficient of performance).

For very small temperature differences (possible with a good heat source and underfloor heating), it is possible to achieve COPs greater than six. Ground source heat pumps can utilise heat from:

• 1. pipes buried in the ground
• 2. well water
• 3. a pair of bore holes (one flow, one return)
• 4. streams
• 5. lakes

For the 9kW heat pump using buried pipes, you will need to run 3 loops (each 150m). You should make up a manifold, and use restrictors to balance the three loops, making sure that each loop has the same temperature differential.

You will need quite an area of land to do this, so this is really only an option for small-holders and farmers. It is possible to install a heat pump in a conventional home, but this requires a water heat-source - such as a well, bore holes or a running stream.

Conclusion: Very effective and dependable source of heat. Requires major earthworks unless a water source available as a ground heat source.