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East of England Energy Group.

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Our Associates

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thanks to Shueco for the images on this web site.

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Ecocalc provide independent renewable energy reports

Cut Your Carbon help communities in the East of England reduce their carbon emissions.

Tag Engraving specialise in Commercial Identification Tags and Information Signs.

Copylogic supply sustainable print, document management and office solutions.

Air Source Heat Pumps

Air Source Heat Pumps heat your home and provide domestic hot water in a cost effective and sustainable way.

Air source heat pumps absorb heat from the outside to heat buildings. There are two types of air-source heating systems. Air-to-air systems provide warm air, which is circulated to heat the building. The other type, air-to-water, heat water to provide heating to a building through radiators or an underfloor system.

Their Benefits

  • no need for external fuel : they run on electricity, which eliminates the need for a gas connection or storage of oil/solid fuel
  • they require less space to install than ground source heat pumps, so are more suitable for modern homes.

How it works

In the same way that a fridge uses refrigerant to extract heat from the inside, keeping your food cool, an air source heat pump extracts heat from the outside air, and uses it to heat your home and hot water. An air-source heat pump has three main parts:

  • The evaporator coil absorbs heat from the outside air;
  • The compressor pumps the refrigerant through the heat pump and compresses the gaseous refrigerant to the temperature needed for the heat distribution circuit;
  • The heat exchanger transfers the heat from the refrigerant to air or water.

In an air-to-water system, the heat produced is used to heat water, which can be used to pre-heat water in a storage tank, or circulate through a underfloor heating or radiator system.
Heat pumps produce hot water that is a lower temperature (typically 35-45C) than a standard boiler system, which means that underfloor heating is the most effective choice. In an air-to-air system the heat is used to produce warm air, which is circulated by fans to heat a building via insulated duct work.
The efficiency of air source systems is measured by a coefficient of performance. Air source systems are comparable with ground-source heat pumps. This means that for every unit of electricity used to power the pump, 3-4 units of heat are produced, making it an efficient way of heating a building.
It is even possible for air source heat pumps to extract useful heat from air at temperatures as low as minus 15oC.

Is it suitable for a home?

You should consider the following issues when thinking about installing an air source heat pump.

  • Space on an external wall outside your house to fit the evaporator coil.
  • An air source heat pump should cover the heating requirements of a well insulated property. Due to the lower temperature compared with traditional boilers, it is essential that your home is insulated and draught proofed. These measures will lower your heat demand and make the system more effective.
  • Consider what fuel is being replaced: if it's electricity, oil, Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) or coal, the payback will be more favourable than gas. Heat pumps are a good option where gas is unavailable.
  • The type of heat distribution system. Air source heat pumps can be used to heat water that is circulated through radiators but under floor heating is more effective due to the lower temperature of the air/water produced.
  • Is the system for a new building development? combining the installation with other building works can reduce costs.
  • If you want to further reduce your home's CO2 emissions you can purchase a green electricity tariff or install Solar PV or some other form of renewable electricity generating system to power the compressor and pump.

Other Systems

There other systems we can advise on available which maybe more suitable to your installation and requirements these include:-