Air Source Heat Pumps.

Heat your home with energy absorbed from the air around you

Air source heat pumps offer an advantage over ground source heat pumps for domestic installation because they require less space to install. Instead of requiring the installation of buried underground coils, air source systems can be fitted using much less space and are therefore, more suited for an urban home.

The Benefits:

1) Reduce your fuel bills: air source heat pumps run on electricity, so there's no need to pay for gas, oil or solid fuels to heat your home.
2) Reduce your fuel bills: air source heat pumps run on electricity, so there's no need to pay for gas, oil or solid fuels to heat your home.
3) Cut down on wasted electricity: heating your home with an air source heat pump is much more efficient than using electric radiators.

How do Air Source Heat Pumps really work?

Is an Air Source Heat Pump suitable for my home?

Ground source heat pump typical costs and savings

Air source heat pumps absorb heat from the outside air. This heat can then be used to warm water for radiators or underfloor heating systems, or to warm the air in your home.

There are 2 main types

An air-to-water system:
The air-to-water system uses the heat to warm water. Heat pumps heat water to a lower temperature than a standard boiler system would, so they are more suitable for underfloor heating systems than radiator systems.

An air-to-air system
The air-to-air system produces warm air which is circulated by fans to heat your home.

The efficiency of air source heat pump systems is measured by a coefficient of performance (CoP) - the amount of heat they produce compared to the amount of electricity needed to run them.

A typical CoP for an air source heat pump is around 2.5.

To tell if an air source heat pump is right for you, there are a few key questions to consider:

Do you have somewhere to put it?
You'll need a place outside your house where a unit can be fitted to a wall or placed on the ground. It will need plenty of space around it to get a good flow of air.

Is your home well insulated?
Since air source heat pumps produce less heat than traditional boilers, it's essential that your home is insulated and draught proofed well for the heating system to be effective.

What Fuel will you be replacing?
The system will pay for itself much more quickly if it's replacing an electricity, oil, Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) or coal heating system than a gas one.

What type of heating system do you want?
Air source heat pumps are much better at powering underfloor heating systems or warm air heating than radiator-based systems.

Is the system intended for a new development?
Combining the installation with other building work can reduce the cost of installing the system.

Costs for installing:
A system suitable for a detached home range from about £7,000 to £10,000.

Running costs:
Running costs for space heating (but not hot water for washing) are likely to be around £440 per year. This will vary depending on a number of factors - including the size of your home and how well insulated it is.

Savings can be considerable
Up to 6 tonnes of CO2 and £870 per year for a system that replaces an electric heating system, or 1.3 tonnes of CO2 and £580 for an oil-fired system.

Do you want to reduce your home's CO2 emissions further?
Consider installing solar electricity or some other form of renewable electricity generating system to power the compressor and pump.


All savings are approximate and are based on an air source heat pump providing 100% of space heating in a detached property.