Heat Pumps have continued to gain attention in recent years for lowering CO2 emissions and for reducing the use of fossil fuels. But there are different types of air-to-water heat pumps, and it’s hard to discern which type of heat pump might be right for your home or business. Which type of heat pump is the right choice for you? LG offers several types of air-source heat pump solutions, and we want to help you navigate the process of selecting the right one. Let’s look at what a heat pump is, where heat pumps should be installed, and the advantages provided by different types of air-to-water heat pumps.
What is a heat pump?
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Heat pumps are able to extract as much as 75% of the energy they consume from ambient air or geothermal energy. They offer eco-conscious solutions that can replace systems such as boilers that use fossil fuels for hot water and heating. Heat pumps are not only used for heating and hot water supply, but can also be used for cooling. Heat pump technology is actually what makes the basic functionality of air conditioners possible. Like an air conditioner, a heat pump can cool your home, but it can also heat your home and provide hot water.
Where Should I Install My Heat Pump?
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To help understand which type of heat pump is best for your home or business, let’s look at the different types of air-source heat pumps, also known as air-to-water heat pumps. Depending on their type, air-to-water heat pumps are generally made up of different configurations of outdoor units, indoor units and water tanks. The location and configuration of your heat pump system may also vary for each building type.
Heat pumps should be installed in a location that is not cluttered or enclosed because they require proper airflow in order to work most efficiently. It is recommended that you allow approximately a meter of space around the heat pump unit. Providing space around the unit will also make it easier to access for maintenance or service. While heat pumps can be installed on a flat rooftop, it is ideal to install them on a flat surface on the ground. They should also be installed at least one meter or more away from any property boundaries depending on noise emission regulations in your region.
*Each country or region has its own regulations concerning noise emissions for residential environments.
All-in-one Solution, Therma V Monobloc Heat Pump
As its name suggests, a monobloc heat pump system comes in a single unit. The components of a monobloc system are all contained in an outdoor unit that allows for more efficient use of indoor space. This means it only connects to a water tank, so there’s no need to install an indoor unit in your machine room. If you have an existing water tank, a monobloc can easily be connected. Depending on your existing heating system, you may also gain more space where a boiler was previously installed for storage or any other use. These self-contained systems do not require refrigerant piping and can be easily installed by simply connecting the water piping. They also eliminate the risk of refrigerant leaking into the house, as the only element that gets inside the house is water. Any trained heating system engineer can conveniently install a monobloc system without additional F-gas qualifications. While a monobloc system can save space indoors, the outdoor units can be larger and heavier than other air-to-water heat pumps, so it’s important to be sure that there is enough space to fit the unit on the property.
1. What is a heat pump?
You have already been using a heat pump for decades without realising it.
Your refrigerator using the same basic heat pump technology to remove the heat from the food inside the ‘box’, ejecting it to the outside and keeping the food cold.
A heat pump reverses this process and extracts heat energy from the outside air, ground or water and moves that heat into your home (hence ground source or air source heat pumps).
Using the same ‘vapour compression cycle’ as your fridge to produce heat, the heat pump can take a few degrees of outside heat and upgrade it to provide all the heating and hot water you need.
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2. What is an air source heat pump?
An air source heat pump, such as the market-leading LG range, is essentially a ‘box’ that sits outside your home and uses a fan to draw air through the refrigerant piping, where the heat energy is harvested and upgraded.
The heat pump runs on electricity and will ‘convert’ each kilowatt of electrical energy into 2, 3, 4 or more kilowatts of heat energy. This ‘free’ energy taken from the air is replaced each day by the sun and is therefore renewable energy.
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3. How much will LG cost to install?
There are a number of factors affecting the cost of installation such as the age and size of your property, the levels of insulation and thermal efficiency, the number of rooms and radiators, etc, so it is difficult to give even an average idea of cost. On Average between 6-12k depending on the above.
4. How much will I save on running costs?
This depends on what system of heating you currently use but even with a gas boiler, you are likely to make significant savings. For oil, LPG or direct electric heating the savings could be even greater.
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5. How long will it take to install?
Again, there are a number of factors that will affect this but for a new-build home, the LG air source heat pump can be installed in a couple of days.
For a refurbishment, it depends whether your radiators also need replacing, whether your water cylinder needs re-siting, where the outside box will be fitted, etc.
It will also depend on whether you are completely replacing the existing heating system or simply adding an LG Heat Pump to work alongside the current heating in a hybrid solution – which more people are doing now. This provides a fairly straightforward way of adding renewable heating whilst minimising the work needed.
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6. What about when it’s freezing outside?
LG has been manufactured in the UK for more than a decade now and we have invested heavily in R&D to make sure that it is designed specifically for UK & Ireland conditions.
The system will continue working to maximum efficiency down to -10C and will carry on working to -20C or more, so you can rely on a warm and cosy home even when there is snow on the ground.
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7. Are they noisy?
The outdoor part of the system does have a fan which draws the air across the internal components and this will make a whirring noise in operation. The amount of noise depends on the quality of the product and this is where the LG range has led the market in the UK & Ireland.
Ecodan has always been amongst the quietest heat pumps available and our latest model is ‘Ultra Quiet’, running at a noise level almost equivalent to the noise in a typical library.
This increases the choice in where the outdoor unit can be sited, making it even more flexible in terms of installation.
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8. What about linking them to smart controls?
LG already comes with sophisticated smart controls that allow you to monitor and control your heating from anywhere. Our LG ThinQ app is part of the package and allows you to see and change settings from your sofa, your office, or the poolside.
In addition to this, you are able to see how much energy you are using, allowing you to spot trends and vary your heating to match your needs with maximum efficiency and minimum cost.
These advanced controls also mean that both we and your installers can access your system remotely to check your system is running as efficiently as possible and troubleshooting if ever necessary.
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