Air Source & Ground Source Heat Pumps

Known as the "magic trick" of the renewable industry, Heat Pumps are an incredible form of technology.

With heating bills rising and the cost of Heat Pumps at an all time low, it's never been a better time to invest in a more renewable future. However you may be wondering, what are heat pumps? How do they work? how much do air source heat pumps work? Well let's explain everything you need to know about air and ground source heat pumps.

What Are Heat Pumps?

Heat Pumps are a fantastic way of heating your property in a sustainable and renewable manner. Thanks to innovative technology, they are able to heat up hot water systems or radiators instead of having to rely on boilers.

We offer 2 different types of Heat Pumps at Rural & Country Energy - Air Source and Ground Source.

This kind of technology originated in Scandinavian countries where they have much lower ambient temperatures than we do. Heat Pumps have been used out there for over 25 years now, so don't be under the impression that this is an un-tried concept.

In fact, we have thousands of Heat Pumps installed in the UK already.

How Does It Work?

Heat Pumps take low-temperature heat from the air (in the case of ASHPs) or the ground (in the case of GSHPs). By passing this low-temperature heat through a refrigerant fluid and a compressor within the unit, it is compressed and amplified to temperatures of up to 55ºC. This high-temperature heat is then sent through the radiator and hot water system as it would with a conventional boiler.

The system can deliver these high temperatures even when operating in ambient climates as cold as -20ºC, it's all about the compressing on the low-temperature heat.

The more you compress, the more heat you get. Sound completely mad? Not really. If you've ever pumped up a bicycle tyre, you'll remember the end of the pump starts getting very hot - it is exactly the same principle.

The Renewable Heat Incentive

How does getting paid to produce your own heat energy sound?

Each one of our Heat Pumps systems will qualify for Government tariff payments because of the Renewable Heat Incentive - meaning you'll be paid to make the heat you use in your property.

The Renewable Heat Incentive (also known as the RHI) started back in 2014 as a way to get more people switching to a more renewable form of heating and reducing carbon emissions across the UK. Since it's launch, it has seen thousands of people sign up and receive payments for producing their very own heat.

There are 2 different schemes, Domestic and Non-Domestic, and each one comes with it's own tariffs and joining conditions. For more information, please visit the Ofgem website.

As far as tariff payments are concerned, Ground Source Heat Pumps installations will tend to get over twice the amount than an Air Source Heat Pump installation. However, you need to remember that installation cost for GSHPs is always 2 - 3 times more due to the additional plant and labour required, and it is a much more invasive installation process.

Thanks to our years of experience with Heat Pumps, we can advise on both technologies and, as always with complex products, give you guidance on what system is best for your site and your pocket. We also compare tariff returns on both systems, meaning you'll be getting the best deal possible by choosing Rural & Country Energy.

If you'd like to learn more about our Heat Pumps systems or the Renewable Heat Incentive, please don't hesitate to get in touch today.