Air Source Heat Pumps

Years ago, in the Victorian era, providing heating and air conditioning for your home was an astonishingly simply process. In summer months for a cooler inside temperature, you opened a window and let the cool breeze that had drifted through the green leaves of summer enter your room. In winter a few chunks of coal in the fireplace sent a volume of luscious warmth radiating through the room. And, if that proved insufficient to brace one to the rigors of winter, you could always put on a heavy coat.

But we live in “Modern Times”, and that cool breeze was long ago blocked by large buildings around us stenched by automobile exhaust. Of course most of the coal burning fire places burn natural gas now or compressed wooden pellets designed to be smokeless. Today, we are concerned with energy costs and air quality. These are the two primary factors when considering heating and air conditioning systems replacement.

Currently, there are three main types of heating and air conditioning systems available.

• First would be, the traditional boilers and chillers to send heated or cooled water to radiating air handlers.
• Second, are systems where forced air is sent directly over a heated or refrigerated coil. This is what is commonly used in small window placed air conditioning units.
• Third, are air source heat pumps. These could be considered a combination of the first two. And, these are the most energy efficient air conditioning and heating systems in use today.

Air Source Heat Pumps take advantage of the differential between outside air temperature and the temperature of a gas when expanded or compressed. When expanded, the gas evaporates inside a coil creating very cold temperatures. When compressed the gas in the coil becomes extremely hot. So the key to energy efficient heating and air conditioning is how well the heat in this coil can be utilized to climate control our homes.

Air source heat pumps can either transfer the heat and cold created to water filled pipes creating a simplified boiler and chiller system. Or, as is more commonly done, send the heated or cooled gases to an interior refrigerant coil where air is forced through it and sent to all the rooms of your home via ductwork.

When considering replacing an existing air conditioning and heating system in your home, you must balance the higher initial cost of modern systems with the fact that they cost only one fourth as much conventional heating and cooling systems to operate. If a new installation costs 3000 Pounds but saves 100 pounds a month in winter and 50 a month in summer, it won’t take long to pay for itself and in a sense at some point be turning a tidy profit.
Another tremendous advantage to installing a new air source heat pump system is that most are fitting with incredibly effective air quality filters. Even in the days when coal burning fireplaces created in London what was referred to as a “winter fog” people knew that smoke from burning fossil fuel was not good for the lungs. New air management systems will remove dust, dust mites, carbon particles and microscopic germs from the air inside your home.
Whether you are building a new house, remodeling your home, or simply ready to replace a tired boiler in your basement, installing a high tech air source heat pump system is a money saving, environment protecting option that everyone will want to choose.