A comprehensive guide to air source heat pumps in 2024

Sustainable living is now a necessity rather than a nice to have. As a result air source heat pumps (ASHPs) have grown in popularity as an eco-friendly heating and cooling solution. As we make our way through 2024, it’s important that everyone understands the benefits of heat pumps and how they work.

This guide will give you a comprehensive look into air source heat pumps to help you make an informed decision about whether they could work for your home or business.

What are heat pumps?

Air source heat pumps transfer the outside heat into a building or room. They work by:

Taking in the air from outside.
A refrigerant within the heat pump is then heated using energy from the air. This is then turned into vapour.
The vapour is then squeezed and compressed.
The temperature increases.
The heat is then released into a building using the existing pipework, heating your property and water.

Types of heat pump

Air source heat pump - This is where the heat from the outside air is transferred into your building to warm rooms and water.
Water source heat pump - This is where the heat from the outside air is transferred to water, which is then circulated through radiators and underfloor heating systems.
Ground source heat pump - Ground source heat pumps take the heat from the ground to heat a building.

Advantages of an air source heat pump

Energy efficiency - ASHPs can save owners significant amounts of energy as they produce more energy than they consume. In fact they’re 400X more efficient compared to traditional gas boilers being 90% efficient.
A reduced carbon footprint - Air source heat pumps are a sustainable heating solution that doesn’t use fossil fuels. This helps businesses and households reduce their carbon footprint.
Versatility and scalability - Air source heat pumps have the ability to adapt to a range of building sizes and heating and cooling methods allowing a range of businesses and homeowners to implement ASHPs.
Cost saving - While heat pumps are expensive to install, they save owners money on their energy bills in the long run.

Things to consider before installing a heat pump

Implementing a heat pump is a big decision, so here are a few things you need to consider before an installation:

The cost

Heat pumps can be expensive to install, which often puts people off implementing one. However, there are a range of government grants available to help you offset the initial cost, including:

The BUS scheme

This is designed to help people cover the initial cost of installation, however, most new builds and social housing aren’t eligible for this scheme. Other eligibility requirements include:

The property you’re applying for must be owned by you. This includes businesses, second homes and buildings you’re renting out.
You’ve installed your new heating system on or after April 22nd, 2022.
You are replacing a fossil fuel heating system like gas, oil or electric.

You can now gain a grant of up to £7,500 until 2028.

Home Energy Loan Scotland

This scheme provides funding for energy efficiency improvements, where households can gain a loan of up to £7,500 or £9,000 for those eligible for the rural uplift.

Eligibility criteria:

Those applying for the scheme must be homeowners living in their main residence.
Those building their own home can use the loan for renewable systems or energy storage systems.

For further information on government grants, read our blog.

Do you need to replace your radiators?

If you’re looking to install an air source heat pump, but want to remain using radiators to heat your home, you may need to fit new ones. Traditional radiators have too small of a surface area to heat your home properly, meaning you need to replace them with larger ones.

Gas boilers operate between 65°C and 75°C, whereas ASHPs temperatures operate between 40°C and 50°C giving them a ‘low temperature flow’. This causes traditional radiators to emit less heat, resulting in larger radiators being required.

Do you want to implement underfloor heating?

Underfloor heating is easier to implement in new builds or buildings undergoing large renovations. If you’re planning on completing this, underfloor heating could be a great option.

While this is a great heating emitter choice it can add high costs to your heat pump journey, as it will include large renovations and improvements to your insulation.

Discover more about the heat pump emitters you could choose from in our blog.

The cost of an air source heat pump

ASHPs can range between £2,400 and £21,550 including installation costs. However, the average cost of an air source heat pump costs between £2,400 and £8,800 and saves owners between £750 and £950 a year.

While these average costs are based on market prices, the price of a heat pump can vary based on several factors, such as:

The size of your home or business - Depending on the size of your home or building, a heat pump will cost you more for those with larger properties.
The CoP of your heat pump - A higher CoP reflects higher efficiency, meaning your home will be heated effectively. Higher efficiency can lead to higher costs.
Renovation costs - While this doesn’t directly effect the cost of your heat pump, it can add significant costs on top of your ASHP costs.

Installing an air source heat pump with Enula

At Enula we install a range of excellent heat pump brands including, Samsung, Swegan, Panasonic, Haier and Aerfor. We install excellent brands for all of our clients to ensure their home or workplace is heated efficiently and effectively.

So what are you waiting for? Get in touch with us today to see how we can support you in installing an air source heat pump.