What are Air Source Heat Pumps?

Air source heat pumps are an exceptionally clean and efficient source of producing heating and hot water for domestic properties and commercial sites.

Basically, air source heat pumps (ASHP) are small units installed outside the home, typically at rear or side of the building, that draw in the air and using a cold heat exchanger and a compressor, converting the heat in the air into electricity to power and heat the home.

Heat pumps can work in temperatures as low as -15oC well within the coldest UK winters.

Producing a fraction of the carbon emissions heat pumps are cheaper as well as greener to run, especially in rural areas reliant on stored energy like oil or liquid petroleum gas (LPG).

An air source heat heating works by extracting readily available heat in the air and local environment through temperatures between -20oC and +35oC, which helps to reduce the dependency on fossil fuels as well as significantly cutting carbon emissions.

Air source heat pumps use electricity to operate and run the heat pump. For each 1kW of electricity, typically around 3kW to 4kW of thermal energy can be used for heating and hot water.

What do I need to install it?

Not much!

• A small concrete base with a drain or soak away
• Ideally in an area where the unit will not cause too much disruption.
• The unit can be sheltered by coniferous plants or slatted timbers if it needs to be hidden from view. 
• A 1m2 space will be required for a new hot water cylinder inside the property.

An assessment of the existing radiators would be advisable to ensure they work well with a heat pump system.

How much will it save me?

For every 1kWh of electricity needed to operate the unit at least 3kWh of heat will be generated. At an electricity cost of 28p/kWh (as per the April 2022 Ofgem Price Cap) therefore a heat pump will cost around 7-9p/kWh to run.