What are Heat Pumps?

They are an energy efficient way to heat your home. They’re suitable for almost all types of home and could save you money on your energy bills. Heat pumps are up to 3x more efficient than gas boilers and are expected to have double the life expectancy.

Properly maintained Air Source Heat Pumps are extremely reliable if installed professionally. They work with proven, existing refrigeration technology, which has been around for over 120 years. Ask yourself when was the last time your fridge freezer broke down!

Mayne Gas Heating Ltd are an approved installer for Vaillant, Worcester and Midea Air Source Heat Pumps and Controls. Many electricity suppliers such as Octopus and OVO have introduced heat pump tariffs to help even further to bring running costs down. For example: The OVO scheme works particularly well with the Vaillant Arotherm Plus model as the HP control system accurately measures the power used by the appliance, the data is collected by OVO and then discounted by around a third, making it very economical. These tariffs are subject to change of course and out of our control so check before committing.

How do Heat Pumps work?

The pump draws air through itself with fans,  extracts the available heat via a heat exchanger containing a refrigerant liquid. As the refrigerant heats up it vaporises and turns into a gas, which is then compressed, rapidly increasing it in temperature. This process only takes a few seconds and is what provides usable heat for your home. The cycle to keep repeating. The continuous process only uses a nominal amount of electricity, produces negligible additional emissions and can have an energy efficiency of over 300%. The warmer the outside temperature, the more efficient the process however these remarkable machines will work down to an incredible -20c, which is almost unheard of in the UK.

Radiator temperature is generally lower than with fossil fuel boilers such as Natural Gas, LPG and Oil. Heat pumps are far more efficient the lower the temperature at which they can be run, somewhere between 30c - 40c, which feels relatively warm to the touch when compared to the hot 60c or more to which you may be more accustomed. HP systems are designed to run for much longer periods and not turned off at all during the heating season. They must be allowed to run 24/7 but carefully controlled to keep a steady temperature within the property with no big spikes or drops, just a small set back overnight.

Good home insulation is key to heat pump efficiency, as well as correct system design with the use of proper controls. In general, the newer your home, the more HP friendly it is likely to be, due to improvements in building practises over the decades. All properties can potentially benefit from a HP in place of a fossil fuel system but further work may be necessary to increase the thermal efficiency of the building fabric with insulation. 

The most efficient heat pump is the one that is not running so insulate your building!

We may be able to help you with this also through the government funded "Great British Insulation Scheme" or GBIS. Free insulation can be claimed without the claimant being in receipt of benefits. The criteria depends on factors relating to the property energy efficiency rating (EPC) and the total household income is less than the £31,000 PA threshold or you are considered vulnerable. 

Enquire for more details on 01472 241211 or admin@maynegasheating.co.uk