Cornwall Living
Out of thin air
With a new government grant available, we talk to renewable heating experts at GreenGenUK about the benefits of an air source heat pump.
With recent rises in electricity and gas prices, and more set for later in the year, we are all looking for ways of how to save on our heating and hot water bills. The government has announced that they are to provide homeowners with a £5,000 grant towards the upfront costs of replacing their fossil fuel boiler with an air source heat pump through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, with the aim to reduce the UK’s carbon emissions, our dependency on fossil fuels and exposure to global price hikes.
This form of renewable heating is both better for the environment and cheaper to run, but how does it work? Surely, you can’t produce heat out of thin air? Actually, it appears you can. A fan draws air through the unit, which keeps an internal refrigerant gas cooler than the external air temperature. When the air passes over the gas its temperature rises; the refrigerant gas is then compressed and the refrigeration process causes an upgrade in the heat, which then passes through a heat exchanger and is distributed around your property.
An air source heat pump is capable of providing both space heating and hot water and the process of upgrading the heat energy stored in the air means these heat pumps can be more than 400% efficient. Add to that the fact that an air source heat pump can reduce the average heating bill by as much as 50% and it becomes a very attractive proposition.
One homeowner from Polperro, whose property spans three storeys, is ahead of the curve and is already reaping the benefits of the installation of a Mitsubishi Ecodan 11.2kW Heat Pump and had this to say of GreenGenUK: “We have been very impressed with the way Shaun, George and Ben have worked over the past three days, transforming our house from an oil heated dinosaur to an electrically heated house courtesy of an air source heat pump.
The radiators feel, if anything, a little warmer than they were when heated by oil which was a pleasant surprise.”
So, what are you waiting for? Now is a great time to swap to a more efficient heating system or replace an ageing boiler ahead of winter.
GreenGenUK Ltd
