What is an air to water heat pump boiler?

A heat pump boiler draws heat from the air from any room in a house to warm up the water. It’s ideal for homes where roofs are not fit for solar panels.

What temperature does a heat pumps stop working?

As the outdoor air temperature drops, so does the efficiency of a heat pump. However, even with temperatures that go down to -18°C (0°F), heat pumps can still retain 85% of the warmth they had at 21°C (70°F).

Do air to water heat pumps compliment radiant floor heat?

Radiant floor heating is ideal for a heat pump, and efficient, silent, and comfortable way to heat your home. It is most effective in tight, insulated homes with a high level of thermal mass, like exposed slab floors. Piping is cast into concrete and then circulates a heated fluid through it. The heated fluid radiates heat into the concrete, which then warms your floors and your home.

What is the difference between an air source heat pump and geothermal?

The main difference between air source heat pumps and geothermal heat pumps is where they get their heat. Air source heat pumps draw in heat from the outside air, whereas geothermal heat pumps absorb heat from the ground. Air source heat pumps may be less efficient in the winter months since there is less heat in the outdoor air and a coil defrost is required. Geothermal heat pumps, however, collect the renewable heat available just beneath the earth’s surface, which has a consistent temperature regardless of the season.

What is the difference between an air source heat pump and a mini split?

Air source heat pumps distribute heating and cooling evenly through the home through centralized ductwork. Mini-splits, on the other hand, have a ductless heat distribution system. The heating and cooling are delivered from a single air handler, which is usually placed in the central part of an open concept house. Unless you have multiple units, mini-splits are usually not ideal for whole-house heating as they are only suitable for spaces between 375-750 square feet. They also need alternative forms of heating such as baseboards to supplement the heating it provides. In contrast, an air source heat pump can deliver whole-home heating and cooling as it is suited to a home between 1400 and 3100 square feet.

In-Depth Product Guide

Air to Water Heat Pump

FAQs

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Air-source heat pumps draw heat from the outside air during the heating season and reject heat outside during the summer cooling season. Air-to-water heat pumps are used in homes with hydronic heat distribution systems.

All air has some heat energy in it, and a heat pump can extract heat from air even at low temperatures. A refrigerant fluid absorbs the extracted heat and undergoes compression to increase its temperature. The heated fluid then transfers its heat the hot water baseboards in your home. The opposite takes place in summer when the heat inside your home is conveyed to the outside to cool your home.

Heat pumps use electricity, but they can reduce your electricity use for heating by approximately 50% compared to furnaces and electric baseboard heaters.

An air-to-water heat pump is used in a hydronic system where the heating or cooling is distributed using water, such as hot water baseboard, in-floor heating or radiant panels.

Look for the Energy Star label, and these three performance ratings when choosing - The higher the better:

COP (Coefficient Of Performance)
HSPF (Heating Season Performance Factor)
SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio - more related to cooling)

Work with a reliable heat pump contractor to ensure you have the right size of heat pump and that it is installed correctly. Be very careful that only a licensed refrigeration technician installs, maintains, and later decommissions your heat pump. Current heat pumps contain a refrigerant gas that should not be allowed to escape to the atmosphere when servicing the equipment, because it contributes to climate change.

A heat pump can be one of the most energy-efficient ways to use electricity to heat your home. In a moderately cold winter climate like the northern US or southern Canada, an air-source heat pump can be three times more efficient than regular electric resistance heating (such as electric baseboard heaters) and oil furnaces or boilers.

The first working heat pump was invented by an Austrian, Peter von Rittinger, in 1855, to evaporate water from salt brine to make salt.