Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHPs) absorb heat from the outside air. This heat can then be used to heat radiators, underfloor heating systems, or warm air convectors and hot water in your home.

Different from a Ground Source Heat Pump, an Air Source Heat Pump extracts heat from the outside air in the same way that a fridge extracts heat from its inside. It can get heat from the air even when the temperature is as low as -15°C.

Heat pumps have some impact on the environment as they need electricity to run, but the heat they extract from the ground, air, or water is constantly being renewed naturally.

How do Air Source Heat Pumps work?

Heat from the air is absorbed at low temperature into a fluid. This fluid then passes through a compressor where its temperature is increased, and transfers its higher temperature heat to the heating and hot water circuits of the house.

Is your home appropriately insulated?
For the heating system to be effective, it is essential that you ensure your home is well insulated. The heat pump will provide you with the best efficiency when producing heat at a lower temperature than traditional boilers.

What is the fuel that you are planning to replace?
According to the Energy Saving Trust, the savings are now greater for gas system replacement  than oil. Air Source Heat Pumps work best when replacing gas, oil or LPG as they run off a wet heating system. More savings can be made if replacing electric or coal but the pipework and radiators may need replacing.

What is your desired heating system?
Air Source Heat Pumps perform best with correctly sized radiators and underfloor heating, but our consultants will advise you on this during your call. They are not right for every property and we pride ourselves with providing honest and correct information.

Choosing an experienced ASHP installer is essential when it comes to heat pump system design and installation. You need to be confident that the system will be efficient and work as expected, keeping running costs low. COMFY-HEAT offers the following as standard:

• Advice and guidance on the suitability of an ASHP for the project
• Full heat loss calculations for the property
• An accurate quotation for the system components in line with MCS and RECC standards
• Support with MCS compliance, including on-site commissioning
• Mechanical and electrical drawings specific to the installation as well as clear installation manuals and customer user guides

• The ASHP is placed on a flat concrete base external to the property with the appropriately sized flow and return heating pipes and electrical power cable running from the unit into the property
• Pipe work should be carried out by qualified plumber or heating engineer in accordance with MCS standarts.
• Electrical work should be carried out by a qualified electrician in the conventional way as you would for a gas or oil boiler
• To simplify the process, Nu-Heat provides a complete set of ‘as installed’ mechanical and electrical drawings, which will provide a fault-free template of the complete air source heating system layout.

Once the installation of the mechanical and electrical heat pump components is completed, the ASHP unit will be ready for commissioning. 

• COMFY-HEAT also completes and provides all of the relevant MCS support documentation required if applying for government grants, the warranties and guarantees.