Myth Busting Heat Pumps

Installing the right system for your property is key.
If the heat pump is too small, it will not be sufficient to meet your heating needs. But if too large, it will be far less efficient and will lead to higher energy bills. Your radiators or underfloor heating surfaces need to be optimised in a similar fashion.
That is why you need a reputable company like us to install a system that is optimised for you and therefore, good for your wallet and for the environment.

One of the many great benefits of a heat pump is that it is an incredibly efficient form of heating. Air source heat pumps can exceed 350% in terms of efficiency due to the way they transfer heat rather than work to generate it like a traditional boiler.
During your survey, Andrew will take measurements of your home which will be combined with other factors like insulation to calculate the most efficient size of heat pump and radiators.
The lower the water temperature flowing through your radiators, the greater the efficiency, so with larger radiators your heat pump doesn’t have to work to such high temperatures.
But this certainly does not mean your home will not get as warm if the radiators are not as hot, it means your home can be heated with less energy and should remain at a more constant temperature ensuring you are warm and cosy in the coldest of winters.
Along with the quote for your heat pump system you will receive an estimated running cost comparison against your current heating system based on current energy prices. For every unit of electricity put into an air source heat pump, there is the potential for it to produce over 3.5 units.
By comparison to other forms of heating, electric heaters work at around 100% efficiency, meaning that one unit of electricity produces one unit of heat.
A brand-new oil or gas boiler will only work at just over 90% efficiency.
In a simple comparison:
• With an Air Source Heat Pump, for every £1 spent on power, you will get around £3.50 or more worth of heat.
• With a brand-new boiler, for every £1 spent you will only get around 90p worth of heat.

Once the installation is complete, Andrew will optimise the settings on your new heat pump to ensure it will run as efficiently as possible, these settings rarely need changed and will be reviewed by us during the annual maintenance inspection.
The efficiency of your air source heat pumps is measured by the Coefficient of Performance (COP). This is the ratio of output compared to the required input. For example, a CoP of 3 means your heat pump produces 3 units of heat energy for every 1 unit of electricity it consumes.
CoP only measures the efficiency of the heat pump and not the system in full over the year. Seasonal Performance Factor (SPF) takes into consideration the design of the heating system and performance over the year.
Andrew will also take all the time you need to go over the heating control functions, and most heat pumps come with the option to control your heating wirelessly from your phone or tablet.

Due to the modern technology in heat pumps, they are usually more expensive to install than tradition fossil fuel run heating systems.
To encourage homeowners to consider the more environmentally friendly option of the heat pump system, the Scottish government has a comprehensive funding scheme in place and all renewable energy installations come with zero VAT.
In Scotland £7500 cash back is available for air source, ground source and hybrid heat pump installation rising to £9000 if the rural uplift applies.
An interest free loan of £7500 is also available in conjunction with the cash back scheme and our administrator Georgie can talk you through the process to get your funding application underway and approved.

The average installation takes between 3 and 5 days depending on how many radiators are being installed or swapped. We always aim to retain the original hot water set up until the last day of the installation so that you don’t go without hot water.
As with any new central heating system there is slight disruption, our installation team will respect your property and tidy up at the end of each day.
The comments we receive back from our customers is that after the installation “they wouldn’t have known we were there”.

To draw in the air it requires to operate, a heat pump needs to stand outside, close to or attached to your property.
A modern heat pump for a domestic home would not usually be larger than 1m x 1m x 0.4. A heat pump should not be any louder than the fridge in your kitchen and a noise calculation will be completed as part of the system design process. It should also be a minimum of 1m from your neighbour’s property so they will not be able to hear it.
You will also need space inside for pipework and a hot water cylinder. The cylinder size will depend on the size of your home.