What is a Heat Pump?

A heat pump is a heating and cooling system that can be used in your home, business or industrial plant. A heat pump harnesses the heat energy from the air, water, or ground. Because the majority of the energy is being harnessed from natural surroundings, heat pumps use up to 75% less energy than your average heating system. 

Home Use Of a Heat Pump

Hot water, home heating and air-conditioning are luxuries we cannot live without in Ireland. Unfortunately, the majority of our heating systems are powered by harmful fossil fuels which include oil, gas, coal and peat. Burning these natural resources is not only harmful to the environment but also to your bank account. To have consistent hot water and warmth in your home, you have to be constantly using your supply to keep the fire burning. This can cost a significant amount of money, particularly as oil and gas prices continue to rise. 

So how can we combat these issues without giving up the home comforts that we have become accustomed to? We need to install a system that is better for the environment, cheaper to run and can keep our homes comfortable and our water hot, without having to wait for the immersion to heat up. 

Heat pumps can be used for water heating, underfloor heating, radiators and swimming pool heating, as well as cooling while only costing a fraction of the price to run. They take heat energy from natural surroundings by using a small amount of electricity to power the production.

Air to Water Heat Pump

There are three types of heat pumps. The first is an air to air heat pump. This takes heat from the outside air and is circulated through aluminium fins that are similar to a car radiator. An air to water heat pump is the most common because they are the easiest and cheapest to install. 

Ground to Water Heat Pump

Ground to water heat pump requires a pipe that is several hundred metres long and travels through the ground. This is below the freezing depth where there is a constant temperature of around 4ºC. A liquid travels through this pipe to collect that heat to convert it into energy to use in your home. This cycle continues on a loop so you are continuously harvesting and using the energy. These have a longer service life and potentially more savings than the air to water heat pump. However, they require a certain amount of land and earthworks to install. 

Water to Water Heat Pump

A water to water heat pump has the highest savings and heating factor. Unfortunately, there are few sites that suit the installation requirements. Surface or groundwater is a natural source for a water heat pump system. We take water from a source such as lakes or a well. We then let it pass through a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger extracts some of the heat from it and then returns it to the ground.

Why Is A Heat Pump The Best Heating System?

Instant Water Heater

A heat pump is constantly repeating the cycle of converting heat into energy. This makes it an affordable way to have a constant stream of hot water. This means no planning 20 minutes ahead to switch the hot water on, or figuring out which hours suit everybody best for the timer on the heater. 

If this is not a usual problem for you, then imagine having the comfort that you have now but without the hefty oil bills.

Central Heating System

Heat pumps can be set up in any way you like. This includes underfloor and standard radiator heating systems for new or retrofit situations. Heat pumps work best when they can run constantly in a property keeping it at a comfortable temperature at all times whilst providing volumes of hot water.

Oil and Gas Boiler Replacement

Replace your outdated oil or gas boiler. Fossil fuels need to become a thing of the past so Ireland can reach its carbon emission goals by 2030, and we can keep our promise to the European green deal. 

Heating and Cooling

Heating and cooling with one system. Not only can your heat pump warm your home but it can also cool it down in the hot summer months. The system can be used to aid cooling by removing heat from systems in industrial plants. Just as the energy is passed through and converted to heat, it can be converted to cold making it doubly efficient. 

Air-Conditioning Unit

An air conditioning unit can be installed into your home connected to your heat pump to ensure that your heating system is as convenient and easy to control as possible.

Convenience

Heat pumps are extremely convenient as your house will always be at optimal temperature. The temperature of MasterTherm heat pumps is controlled by an app that can be downloaded to your device. This means you can always ensure you’re coming home to a cosy warm house in the winter, or a chilled refreshing one in the summer. 

Renewable Energy Source

Because Heat pumps take most of their energy from the ground, the air or a water source, it is renewable. Heat pumps still need a small amount of electricity to run. However, the carbon emissions are a fraction of what they would be if you are burning fossil fuels. This makes it a green energy solution. It is important to get your heating from a green source because heat is a very large part of Ireland’s CO2 emissions. If we can lower each of our individual carbon footprints we can help to make this planet safer for future generations.

SEAI Grants For Better Energy Homes

The Sustainable Energy Association of Ireland is offering grants for better energy homes. This includes wall and roof insulation, floor insulation, double or triple glazed windows, heating controls, solar water heating, solar electricity, and of course, heat pumps. This is in an effort to make Ireland’s homes more sustainable and provide comfort and warmth without it costing the planet. 

How can I use my heat pump the most efficiently?

Take advantage of the SEAI grants. Install insulation and triple glazed windows for your home, this way the heat that the heat pump produces will not be wasted. If your house is not insulated, heat can escape through your walls, floors and roof and windows. Using a gas or oil boiler in an uninsulated home can mean you are burning more fuel than is necessary to warm your home. If you have installed a heat pump without insuring your house is well insulated first, you may find that you are not saving as much energy as you should be, as the heat pump will need to use more electricity to produce more heat than is being lost.

Use of Industrial Heat Pumps

Because of heat pumps’ versatility in the heating and cooling sector, makes them perfect for many business places. The obvious ones that heat pumps would be useful for are places like schools, universities, hospitals, care homes, leisure centres, office buildings, hotels, restaurants or any other hospitality sector. 

The less obvious ones include factories, food and beverage production, agriculture, brewery equipment, production of medical supplies, stationery supplies, engineering and manufacturing. Essentially any industry that needs heating or cooling for their equipment, cleaning or produce can use a heat pump. 

So how can you decide which heat pump will suit you best?

Why MasterTherm?

Heat pumps can be used in commercial settings, especially those that require heating and cooling. A MasterTherm heat pump solution can be an efficient way of repurposing heat energy that otherwise would have been wasted. This will make your company more sustainable and profitable.

MasterTherm heat pumps are ultra-quiet, have a 7-year warranty, give you lower heating bills and can be controlled easily from a tablet or phone using inverter technology.

We will design and tailor a personalised heating system to suit your industry needs. Whether it’s for a complex monitored heating and cooling system using rejected heat, or a central heating system with air-conditioning. MasterTherm will ensure that your business is getting the maximum benefit from your heat pump system.

If you’re looking for a heating and hot water solution for your building, we may suggest multiple heat pumps working together. If you are unsure about how to start the journey to renewables using heat pumps, contact us and we can start by creating a bespoke design for your heating system.