Heat Pumps

Harnessing the energy of nature.

Our world is full of energy, even at figured well below freezing point there is plenty of energy available . Heat pumps are a fantastic way to extract this stored energy for a domestic or commercial purpose. They provide this by using a conventional refrigeration cycle to extract heat energy stored in the surrounding environment and raise the temperature to that suitable for heating purposes this principle is extremely effective and can function at temperatures as low as -25°C.

The system required for a heat pump consists of 3 components; the heat source, a heat storage and distribution system and of course the heat pump itself.  Heat pumps work via a closed cycles with refrigerant which evaporates even at extremely low temperature. As it transfers to a gas state it absorbs the radiant energy from the heat source. Then the now gas refrigerant is compressed further raising its temperature. The gas is then passed to a heat exchanger which absorbs that heat and passes it in to a heating system, for example a hot water tank. As the heat is exchanged the refrigerant begins to cool and return to a liquid state and is allowed to cool further by means of an expansion valve before being returned to the store and begin the process of absorbing heat once more. 

Heat pumps are among the most efficient heating and hot water systems available today. By using energy that exists in its surroundings a heat pump actually produces more energy than it take from an electrical supply. Approximately three quarters of the energy that’s used in heat pump heating system comes from the environment. So for example if a heat pump uses 1kW of energy to power the compressor then between 3 and 4kW of heating energy are produced, this gives a heat pump system an energy efficiency of 300-400%.

This rating is called the “coefficient of performance” or COP. Put simply it’s a ratio between the proportion of the total energy supplied that can be extracted from the environment and the amount of external electricity required to run the heat pumps compressor. The higher the COP #, the more efficient the pump system is and naturally the more “free” environmental energy is being used.

Carmichael Browns are happy to announce we can now offer a full range of heat pumps across three future-proof heat sources; outside air, the ground or water.

Air source heat pumps utilise the outside air as their energy source. Heat pumps can even extract heating energy from the outside air at temperatures as low as -25°C•

Ground source heat pumps extract heat from the earth all year round via ground heat collectors buried beneath the ground.

Water to water heat pumps extract thermal energy from underground water. If the supply is readily available and the quality is sufficient, water is the most effective heat source. Click here to learn more about Ground Source Heat Pumps and Air Source Heat Pumps.