How Do Air Source Heat Pumps Work?
There is always sufficient thermal energy in the atmosphere to provide all your heating and hot water.
Heat pumps rely on the thermal energy generated by the sun, an inexhaustable source of energy. In one year, the energy sent to earth from the sun is 50 times higher than the total consumption of energy on our plant.
You do not need a bright sunny day to produce thermal energy, it is always present in the atmosphere, even on days as low as -20 degrees and at night, making it an ideal resource for heating our homes.
Countries such as Sweden and Norway have long been using air source heat pumps to heat their homes despite the freezing temperatures they experience.
How do air source heat pumps work?
A heat pump only needs a heat source (the outside air), two heat exchangers (one to absorb and another one to release heat) and a relatively small amount of drive energy to keep the system going.
A heat pump extracts thermal energy from the environment. In the case of Daikin Altherma the source is the outside air. The pump extracts the energy at a certain temperature, increases that temperature and then releases it into a medium which in the Daikin Altherma system is the water running to your low temperature radiators, under floor heating system or fan coil units.
Between those two media the heat is moved by means of a working fluid.
Compressor - the essence of heat pumps
As the working fluid passes through the evaporator and extracts heat from the air, it turns into a gas. This is where the compressor comes in.
When you compress a gas the temperature rises (for example if you inflate the tyre of your bicycle, you can feel the air inside warming up through the rubber). Inside your house the second heat exchange takes place when the compressed gas enters the condenser, a surface which is colder than the gas itself.
Finally, the gas condenses and releases its heat – this heat then warms up your house.
Air source heat pumps work equally well in a domestic setting, community or flat/apartment heating.
To heat your home more efficiently call our team today on 0800 018 3448