Air Source versus Ground Source Heat Pumps
Which Renewable Heating Is Right For Your Home?
Whether you’re tired of rising fuel prices or wanting to minimise your impact on the environment, installing an eco-friendlier home heating system is a winner on both fronts.
But which heating system is best for your home? How kind are they to the environment? How much will they cost you to install? Which is most efficient at heating?
We’ve put two of the best solutions in renewable energy home heating head-to-head to help you see the pros and cons of air source heating pumps versus ground source heating pumps.
Air Source Heating
How They Work
Air source heating systems, sometimes known as air-to water systems, use the refrigeration process to transform low-grade energy from the air outside into high-grade energy for heating and domestic use and advanced inverter technology improves efficiency over the entire year. The continuous cycle of changing the state of the refrigerant from liquid to vapour allows the heat pump to extract the maximum energy from the air.
What They Cost
They could cost you nothing. Yes, nothing. The government’s RHI or Renewable Heat Incentive scheme is designed to help lower or entirely cover the cost of a renewable heating source. If you qualify, payments are made quarterly for up to 7 years, resulting in a substantial reimbursement, or entirely covering the cost of your installation. Combine that with a 7-year guarantee that a quality heat pump should have and the annual cost savings on your heating bill, there’s plenty of financial incentives to switch to an air source heating pump.
Upfront costs vary depending on your needs, but typically an installation suitable for a family sized home is between £8,000 – £12,000.
Installation Need-To-Know
Aside from price, installation of an air source heating pump is often much simpler than a ground source heating pump. There’s no digging needed, and the unit itself is often not much larger than an air-conditioning unit and so can fit in even the smallest outside spaces. We are experts in the field with a long list of happy customers throughout the East Midlands, call us for a free survey and we’ll answer any installation worries specific to your home that you might have.
How Eco-Friendly Are They?
Depending on the system you choose, air source heating pumps contribute less to CO2 emissions than your typical heating system. And if you’re concerned about the energy required to run the heat pump, you’ll be happy to know that they have an energy efficiency of nearly 350%. That means for every unit of electrical energy you use to run the compressor; the system will create 3 ½ units of heat energy. Combine your system with solar panels to decrease running costs even further.
Ground Source Heating
How They Work
Ground Source heating systems work in much the same way as air source but instead of drawing heat from the air they draw it from the ground. A few metres down, the earth remains at a constant temperature of around 10-15 degrees in the UK. This latent heat can be transferred to your home using a horizontal collector or a vertical bore hole. Just as with air source heat pumps a compressor is used to raise the temperature of the heat collected.
Because the ground temperature in winter is higher than the air temperature the pump has less work to do in raising the temperature so ground source heat pumps can be more efficient and cheaper to run than air source. However, you must have the ground available and the installation costs are considerably higher than air source pumps.
What They Cost
You’ll need to pay more up front for ground source compared to air-source, but like air-source, through the money-back RHI scheme, you could end up with a system that’s paid for by the government in 7 years if not much sooner. In addition, depending on the heating system you’re replacing, you could save £1,000 or more per year on your heating bill.
Typical installation costs for a family sized home vary between £12,000 – £18,000.
Installation Need-To-Know
A key decision maker when comparing air source vs ground source is the size of your home, its existing heating system and the size of your garden.
Important to know, installing a ground source heating pump does require some digging in your garden and space inside your home for the pump and compressor. If your garden isn’t much more than a window-box, then this is likely not the heating source for you. But let the experts at Trusted Energy Solutions come and take a look. We’ve installed hundreds of systems in the East Midlands alone, so we’ll recommend the best system for you.
How Eco-Friendly Are They?
Even with the electricity required to run the compressor and pump, ground source heating pumps can be a very environmentally friendly heating choice. They have up to 400% efficiency of heat energy creation compared to electrical energy usage and they generate less CO2 than many other types of home heating systems. Combine it with a solar PV system for increased eco-friendliness!
Which One Is Right for Your Home?
Both systems can offer big savings on your existing heating bill, lower your CO2 emissions, benefit from government money-back incentives, don’t require fuel deliveries, need minimal maintenance, and promise a more consistent, comfortable ambient temperature in your home.
However, if you don’t have around an acre of land available, want a smaller initial outlay to pay for the system, then air source heating pump is likely the right choice. Before you decide, and to look at even more renewable and sustainable energy and heating sources, give us a call. As East Midlands leaders in the field of air source and ground source heat pumps, we can supply, install and maintain the right heating source for your home.
For more information on how Trusted Energy and reusable energy can transform your property and save you money, contact us today.
Arrange a free no-obligation quote today
01636 555 011 – info@trusted.energy
Get In Touch
We would love to hear from you. For new installations we offer a free initial consultation and site survey with no high pressure sales.
Use the contact form to send us your query, or call us on 01636 555 011 . Our consultancy always starts with a short telephone conversation to understand your needs.
4 Sherwood Network Centre
Sherwood Energy Village
Ollerton
Newark
NG22 9FD
info@trusted.energy
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