Air / Ground Source Heat Pump



Air / Ground Source Heat Pumps are becoming an increasingly popular choice for home heating. Heat pumps are powered by electricity and extract heat from the ground or surrounding air to be used to heat your home. What makes the unit so special is that it supplies more energy than it consumes. For every unit of energy purchased as electricity, several units of heat are delivered, making it up to four times more effective. They are suitable for both new build properties and retrofit installations.


Saving energy and preventing pollution

The heat pump works in a very similar way to a domestic refrigerator, utilising a working fluid driven around a refrigerant circuit containing four components - an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser and an expansion valve. The refrigerant liquid circulating within the system has a boiling point as low as -40°C and evaporates when absorbing heat from ambient air. This means it’s possible to extract considerable heat from extremely low temperatures. The resulting refrigerant gas is then compressed, adding more heat energy and raising its temperature. This heat is then passed via the heat exchanger into your home for use in your hot water cylinder or space heating.


Unique efficiency

This unique product consists solely of one neat, compact unit, complete with refrigerant. The systems are available in a range of sizes from systems suitable for domestic hot water  to larger models which are suitable for underfloor or radiator heating. The heat pump is the modern way to harvest yet another natural resource - it satisfies the need to move heat from ambient air, where it’s not needed, into the house where it can become an integral part of our domestic comfort in a completely safe and reliable way.


Coefficient of Performance


The coefficient of performance, or COP, of a heat pump is the ratio of the output heat to the input supplied. A heat pump operating at COP of 3.0, will provide 3.00kW of heat output for every 1kW of unit input (energy consumed).




























Heat pumps have the potential to greatly reduce CO2 emissions in the home

Northburn Solar

Renewable Energy Systems

0191 645 1212

solar panels, heat pumps and underfloor heating installer

 

News

When property developer George Bowlt was looking for a reliable heating system for his converted farm buildings in the beautiful but rugged Northumberland countryside, he looked at all traditional and renewable options before settling on the award-winning Ecodan® air source heat pump system from Mitsubishi Electric supplied and installed by Northburn Solar. Mr Bowlt is developing three stone cottages on the outskirts of Morpeth where there is no gas supply and options were limited to costly oil, LPG or electric heating.

Ecodan extracts latent heat from the outdoor air and works in temperatures as low as minus 15 degrees centigrade. It requires just a small amount of electricity – no oil or gas – and takes renewable energy from the air to deliver three or four times more heating energy than the electricity consumed.

“Installation is simple for a qualified fitter – no Gas Safety Certificate is needed – and with gas prices rising and the threat of future energy shortages it is a perfect solution,” added Mr Bowlt. “Gas prices are only going one way now the UK is no longer a net exporter. There’s also increasing pressure on property developers to cut CO2 and I’m sure taxes will be used more and more to control energy use.”

The cottages are 30 minutes from Newcastle Airport and have stone arch windows and doors, wooden beams, period features, fireplaces, underfloor heating and light tunnels delivering daylight into the heart of the building. The first to market has four bedrooms and picture windows facing an idyllic rural view; it is priced at £425,000.

“Ecodan comes as a neatly packaged external box – saving interior space where a boiler would go – and the technology is tried and tested in climates far more severe than ours,” he added. “They cost slightly more up-front but you recoup that on energy savings.”

Basic heat pump technology has been around for some years and is widely used in Scandinavia, but Mitsubishi Electric has developed Ecodan using advanced technology borrowed from the commercial heating industry.

The system, which is manufactured in Scotland, works like a refrigerator in reverse, to cut an average home’s energy costs by 30-50%, connecting to either existing radiators or underfloor heating. Despite the housing slump, Scottish Gas has ordered 1,200 to help combat fuel poverty north of the border. Ecodan was also featured heavily at this year’s Ideal Home exhibition.

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