Heat pumps

Heat pumps collect heat from outside and move it into your home - essentially a refrigerator working in reverse. And because the heat is being transferred rather than created, there are savings of up to 70% to be made on running costs.

It forms part of a heating system that uses renewable energy, requires no regular maintenance and is completely safe with no local greenhouse emissions.

And the beauty of heat pumps is that not only can they heat a house, they can be used to cool it down too by operating the system in reverse and transferring heat from the house to outside.

Heat pumps can also be used to pre-heat domestic water or pool water and for driveway ice melting all within one appliance with a variety of options with respect to controls, staging and zone control.

Heat pump systems are especially well matched to underfloor heating and baseboard radiator systems which only require warm temperatures (40°C) to work well.

When coupled with a green electricity supply your heating, hot water and electricity demands create zero Carbon Dioxide emissions, making a real contribution to the reduction of green house gasses.

How do heat pumps work?

Solar energy, stored in the ground, is collected and concentrated by a heat pump, which is then transferred to the home for both domestic hot water (DHW) and heating.

A series of pipes collect the heat from outside (from the earth, air or water depending on the system). Heat is transferred to the water / antifreeze mixture which is pumped through these pipes. A temperature increase of just 3 or 4°C; is all the heat pump requires. The returning warmed liquid is fed into a heat exchanger / evaporator.

The evaporator collects this collected heat by using a refrigerant before returning the (now cooled) liquid to the tubes to complete another cycle.

As the refrigerant boils at a temperature below 0°C, the heat collected turns it into vapour. This vapour is passed into a compressor which compresses the vapour, reduces its volume and thus increases its temperature, to between 70 and 120°C.

The gas is then passed through a condenser / heat exchanger, allowing the refrigerant to turn back into a liquid and release its heat through the heat exchanger to heat the water for the house and for the central heating system.

Heat pumps work very efficiently - for every 4KW of heat produced only 1KW of electricity is consumed.

There are three main heat pumps available:

1. Ground Source Heat Pump more
2. Air Source Heat Pump more
3. Water Heat Pump more

Once only of interest to a small minority, green is the new black as far as self-building is concerned.

With the effects of global warming becoming increasingly apparent, more and more people are seeking greener ways to provide the energy needed to run a home.

Whether it's solar panels, heat pumps, high specification glazing or eco-friendly wool insulation in the loft space, there is little doubt that it is self-builders who are setting the standards for a greener future for the building industry and the way we live our lives.

Underfloor heating for example, has been available for years but, by and large, the self build market has been the industry's bread and butter - with large scale property developers still opting for standard, less efficient radiators.

But it's not all about saving the planet. Incorporating green ideas into a home can lead to reduced running costs and save you money in the medium to long term too. And when you come to sell your home in the future, you can guarantee that the greener it is the more attractive it will be to prospective buyers.

There is a greater sense of purpose from the government to promote green alternatives too with a stick and carrot approach in place.

Building regulations now demand far better energy efficiency while government grants are available for loft insulation right through to solar panels, heat pumps, wind turbines and other microgeneration technologies.

Self-builders are leading the way as far as greener homes are concerned and greenselfbuild.co.uk will be with you every step of the way towards a greener future for you, your family and the wider community.