Local Ilkley Heat Pump Installers

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Gecko Renewables are a Yorkshire based family business who are able to install, maintain and repair different makes of Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP) and heating systems within your home or business.

What is an air source heat pump?

An air source heat pump, sometimes referred to as an air-to-water source heat pump, transfers heat from the outside air to water, which heats your rooms via radiators or underfloor heating. It can also heat water stored in a hot water cylinder for your hot taps, showers and baths.

Heat from the air is absorbed into a fluid. This fluid then passes through a heat exchanger into the heat pump, which raises the temperature and then transfers that heat to water.

A heat pump captures heat from outside and moves it into your home. It uses electricity to do this, however the quantity of heat delivered into your home is much greater than the quantity of electricity used to power the system.

As a heat pump captures heat that is already present in the environment, the system itself does not burn any fuel and therefore emits no carbon dioxide.

How does an air source heat pump work?

Everything around us contains thermal energy – or heat. Heat naturally flows from a warmer place to a colder place. To provide the heat energy in a home when outdoor temperatures are colder, we need heat to flow in the other direction – from a colder place to a warmer place. But how does it do it?

When the pressure of a gas increases, the temperature also increases. When the pressure decreases, the temperature decreases. This relationship between pressure and temperature is the key to how a heat pump works.

The gas is called a ‘refrigerant’ and a heat pump uses electricity to compress this refrigerant, increasing the pressure and therefore the temperature.

As the refrigerant’s heat is transferred to your home through the heat exchanger, it cools down a little. The refrigerant is then allowed to expand so that it cools even further. It’s now cold enough to absorb more heat from outside and begin the process again.

The heat delivered to the heat exchanger can then be used to heat your home. This would normally be done using a central heating system – but it could also be done using warm air in either an air-to-air heat pump or an exhaust air heat pump.

Gecko Renewables can undertake the full design, installation, and maintenance of Air-to-Water Heat Pump Heating System.

Contact us on 01132 571182 or send an email from our contact form for further information or to arrange a free no obligation quote.

Benefits of air source heat pumps

Awareness of air source heat pumps is increasing as more and more homeowners are talking about low carbon heating systems. A heat pump system is different to a traditional central heating system that uses a gas or oil boiler so to help homeowners fully understand the advantages and disadvantages of this renewable technology, we have summarised some in this article.

An air source heat pump cleverly uses the heat energy in the air and captures this to be used in a central heating system. Instead of using a fossil fuel, heat pumps are a renewable energy source and just require electricity to power them. They do operate differently to a traditional heating system so living with a heat pump is not the same as a gas or oil-fired system. There are many benefits that homeowners can enjoy when they own a heat pump but it is important that they understand the differences too, so let us take a look at some air source heat pump pros and cons.

Heat pumps can eliminate your gas or oil fuel bills

If your home is currently heated by a fossil fuel, such as gas, oil or LPG, by swapping to a heat pump, you will no longer need to order these fuels. You can therefore enjoy not having these fuel costs to pay each month as your gas bills will be no more!

Electricity usage will increase with a heat pump

As mentioned above, heat pumps do need electricity in order to work so if you install a heat pump, you will likely see an increase in your electricity usage. It is recommended that homeowners contact their energy supplier to see if a heat pump electricity tariff is available which may be a cheaper and more suitable tariff for an electric based renewable heating system

Heat pumps are very efficient

When an air source heat pump is installed and set up correctly, they are very efficient units, maximising output for the energy consumed. For example, the Grant Aerona³ 6kW air source heat pump produces 6kW at a SCOP of 4.62 when tested at a low temperature and in average climate conditions (SCOP refers to the efficiency of a heat pump, calculating its overall performance during a particular season and dividing this by the annual energy consumed to run the heat pump). In summary, what this means is that for every kilowatt of energy used to run the heat pump, over 4kW of energy is being given to the heating system in return.

You may need to install new radiators

A term you will often hear of with heat pumps is ‘low temperature system’. Unlike boilers which are high temperature systems, a heat pump operates at a lower flow temperature so to ensure that this heat can be effectively transferred into the space within the home, sufficient heat emitter surface area is needed and this is why correctly sizing the heat emitters is so important. It is not always possible to use existing radiators with a new heat pump as larger radiators, or an underfloor heating system, may be better suited.

Heat pumps are user-friendly

Heat pumps are user-friendly being both straightforward to control and simple to maintain. When an installer sets up and commissions a heat pump, they will set the core parameters of the system so that the end-user has minimal interaction with the controls. Thereafter, the homeowner can adjust their desired room temperatures via third-party controls, which may be app enabled, and they can sit back and enjoy their renewable system. The only thing to remember is to arrange the annual servicing of the heat pump.

More preparation is needed to design the system

Compared to traditional boiler replacements, a heat pump installation requires significantly more planning and preparation. The design of the system must be thoroughly completed with a detailed heat loss calculation carried out on the property to ensure it is well insulated, as well as a correct assessment of the heat pump output required and the correct sizing of the chosen heat emitters. It is important that no corners are cut during the design phase to ensure that the system installed is the right one to meet the heat demand of the property most effectively and efficiently.

Provided the unit is installed correctly, adhering to all the do’s and don’ts which are detailed in our heat pump brochure, a heat pump will deliver years of reliable, sustainable home heating.

Homeowners need to be well informed about heat pumps so if you are interested in learning more about this renewable technology, visit our Knowledge Hub.

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