Heating Systems
Air to Water Heat Pump
It is clear that our planet is changing and changes need to be made to the way in which we heat our homes. A method of heating our homes resulting in less energy consumption, lower running costs, and dramatically reduced CO2 emissions and carbon footprint is required. There is a clearly a need for something different. Something Renewable.
With the support of Government schemes and homeowners wanting a better solution to these concerns, new and innovative ways of heating homes have been developed. These systems involve new and more efficient ways of heating and delivering hot water to your home compared to traditional ways of heating your home such as oil or gas boilers.
Air to Water Heat Pumps can provide that solution.
Pipelife Ireland specializes in Hitachi Yutaki-S Combi Air-to-water Heat Pump and Midea Mono Bloc Units. Heat Pumps operate by transforming energy from the outside air into heat, meaning every 1kW of electricity used to power the heat pump is capable of providing up to 5kW of energy in a well-insulated home – helping to reduce heating bills by up to 60% and cutting CO2 emissions by 50% compared to traditional boiler-led heating systems.
Air source heat pumps extract heat from the outside ambient air all year round, even at temperatures as low as - 25°C. Compact and virtually silent outdoor unit with award-winning DC Inverter PAM technology. We offer two variations on the Air Source Heat Pumps, a Mono-Bloc unit and a Split Combi Unit
BENEFITS FOR HOMEOWNERS
- Lower fuel bills
- Reduced carbon emissions
- Self-contained heating and hot water solution - just add a hot water tank
- Suitable for new build and renovation projects - can even be used with an existing boiler
- Up to 5x more efficient than a traditional gas boiler
- Satisfy renewable energy planning requirements
- 5 year warranty.
BENEFITS FOR INSTALLERS
- Simple and fast installation with no refrigeration handling required (The Split unit required Refrigeration pipe)
- Inverter technology means heat output matches the heating load of the property
- High COPs - market-leading COP of 5.0 (2HP model)
- Weather-compensation control
- World-renowned, highly-reliable Hitachi high pressure scroll compressor
- Outputs from 5kW to 16kW
- From 600mm compact height options
- Integrate with other renewable technologies
- 5 year warranty.
How does an Air to Water Heat Pump Work?
Air to water (or Air Source) heat pumps utilise energy in the outside air and transforms it into usable heat. This is performed through a refrigeration process and a vapour compression cycle, which sounds very complicated, but it’s basically how a fridge works, but in reverse.
Heat pumps work much more efficiently at a lower temperature than a standard boiler system would. An air to water heat pump extracts heat from the outside air in the same way that a fridge extracts heat from its inside. It can get heat from the air even when the temperature is as low as -15° C.
This makes them very suitable for underfloor heating systems or larger radiators, which give out heat at lower temperatures over longer periods of time.
An underfloor heating system circulates low temperature water. Most conventional heating systems circulate higher temperature water, usually between 50ºC to 80ºC whereas an underfloor heating system circulates water between 25ºC to 40ºC.
An Air to Water heat pump is the most modern and efficient way of generating this low temperature supply of water. A heat pump is the most efficient way of heating your home and your domestic hot water requirements for Irish climate conditions. Air to Water heat pumps also dramatically reduce CO2 emissions and carbon footprints.
What is the difference between a Split & Mono-Bloc Heat Pump?
A ‘Split’ unit does exactly that. It splits the refrigeration process between the outdoor fan unit and the indoor unit. So the compressor is in the outdoor unit and two pipes containing refrigerant connects to the indoor unit where the heat exchanger and water side is contained as well as the main controller.
The benefits of the Split unit is that the outdoor unit can be located further away from the property (typically up to 50m) with little off no heat loss. Also the outdoor units tend to be smaller and quieter.
A ‘Monobloc’ has the compressor, heat exchanger and water side of the refrigeration cycle all contained in the outdoor unit. Therefore, this requires no special qualifications to install as this is much like a boiler installation.
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How Does An Air To Water Heat Pump Work?
Year on year we see increasing concern about the impact of home energy consumption on the environment. It’s clear that we need to begin looking for more eco-friendly ways to heat our homes without heating the planet at the same time. Luckily, with the help of government support and the enthusiasm of homeowners, we’re seeing oil and gas boilers being replaced with more efficient sources for heating people’s homes.
Helping to reduce heating bills by up to 60% and cutting CO2 emissions by 50%, air to water heat pumps are leading the way in the implementation of more sustainable heating solutions. An air to water heat pump is clearly an eco-friendly alternative to traditional heating systems, however, what you may be wondering is how does it actually work?
How does an air to water heating system work?
An air to water heat pump works by transforming energy from the outside air into usable heat. Via a refrigeration process and vapour compression cycle, air to water heat pumps extract heat from the outside air in the same way that a fridge extracts heat from its inside.
Whilst standard boilers need to operate at high temperatures, an air to water heat pump can operate efficiently at much lower temperatures. In fact, an air to water heating system can extract heat from the air even when the temperature is as low as -15 °C. This is why they are such a good option for underfloor heating systems which require a lower temperature of water for longer periods of time.
So an air to water heat pump effectively works like a regular fridge, but in reverse. It’s a transformative process that takes an original component (outside air) and uses it to extract heat energy that can be used for heating people’s homes. The result? Every 1KW of energy used to power the heat pump is capable of providing up to 5KW of energy in a well-insulated home. This is an efficient use of energy that will help both the planet and homeowner’s wallets.
That’s how an air to water heating system works, but it’s important to note the two different types of heating pump that you’re likely to hear about. These being ‘split heat pumps’ and ‘monobloc heat pumps’.
Monobloc heat pump
A monobloc heat pump is a ‘single block’ system in which the compressor, heat exchanger, and water side of the refrigeration cycle are all contained in the outdoor unit. Installation of this kind of system is therefore simple and much like installing a boiler.
Split heat pump
A split heat pump on the other hand uses more than one unit. As the name probably suggests, a ‘split’ air to water heat pump splits the refrigeration process between an outdoor fan unit and an indoor unit. The outdoor unit fitted with two pipes containing refrigerant connects to the indoor unit where the heat exchanger, water side, and main controller are located.
The split unit can be located further away from the property (usually up to 50m), and the outdoor units tend to be smaller and quieter.
Air to water heat pumps
Aware of the benefits of both split and monobloc heat pumps, we offer two variations on the air to water heat pump to cater to the individual requirements of all homeowners.
Hitachi Yutaki-S Split Combi Heat Pump
The Yutaki S heat pump consists of an exterior inverter unit that is connected to an interior hydraulic unit. When in heating mode, the exterior unit absorbs heat from the outside (at temperatures as low as -20 °C), and transfers it to the water cycle via the interior hydraulic unit.
What’s particularly special about this air to water heat pump is that it also has a cooling mode for use during the summer. Working in the opposite way, it can draw heat outwards towards the exterior. Highly effective in producing hot/ cold water to supply radiators, fan coil units, underfloor heating or a combination of these, the Yutaki S heat pump is a versatile option. When connected to a tank, it can also be used to produce domestic hot water.
Midea M Thermal Mono-Bloc Heat Pump
An integrated system that provides heating and cooling as well as domestic hot water, the M Thermal heat pump is a year-round solution that can replace the need for traditional gas/ oil boilers or work alongside them. A compact, single unit is installed on the outside of the property and the heat pump is connected to the indoor heating system using two insulated pipes and the electronic connection cables under the ground.
Available in single-phase capacities of 4KW to 16KW, or three-phase capacities of 12KW to 30KW, the M Thermal heat pump is a fuss-free, not to mention an efficient, solution for heating your home.