What is a heat pump?

Posted by AmandaTom on March 3rd, 2013

What is a heat pump and when were they first introduced?

Heat pumps were first introduced into the market in 1970s and have since flourished due to their cost saving benefits and environmentally friendly credentials.  At the end of 1970s, the annual output of heat pumps reached 500 grand units in USA and Japan. In the meantime, International Energy Agency and EU countries began to make heat pump developing plans. Today, the energy market is more unreliable and the cost of fossil fuels continues to increase, refocusing peoples attentions back to heat pumps as a wise investment for homes and commerical premises.

Heat pumps move heat from one place to another - from outside to inside a home, for example. Even cold air contains a great deal of heat; the temperature at which air no longer carries any heat is well below -200 degrees Fahrenheit. There are a number of different types of heat pumps including those supplied by renewable energy for example solar hot water systems absorb the energy from the sun to heat water.

Solar Heat pumps use small amounts of energy collected from the ground or air to transfer heat from one location to another providing a total heating and hot water solution for a property. As the renewable energy extracted is free, the only cost incurred when collecting energy for Heat Pumps is the electricity required to run them making them more budget friendly.

One of the advantages of Heat Pumps is that because they move heat rather than creating it by burning oil or gas, they are much more efficient with average savings of over 60% for Ground Source Heat Pumps and 40% for Air Source Heat Pumps. As a result, a heating system using Heat Pumps will provide a realistic return on investment over a much shorter period of time, despite the increased initial cost to install them.

What is a heat pump capable of delivering energy efficiency wise?  For every 4kW of heat moved into your house via Hot Water Heat Pumps, only 1kW of electricity is consumed. This gives a perceived efficiency of 400%, sometimes stated as a Co-efficient Of Performance (COP) of 4:1.

Heat Pumps are also completely free from any contaminants which may cause harm to the environment and they do not emit any noxious gasses which could harm you or your family. So as well as being a safer option for the environment, they are also a safer option for us.

The What Is A Heat Pump page at Veraahdy Heat Pumps is a great resource for those wishing to know more about heat pumps or those wanting a heat pump fitted in their home or business in Australia. Their expert consultants can help you decide which heat pump is the best for you and provide ongoing maintenance and support to ensure you continue to get the best out of your heat pump.

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AmandaTom

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AmandaTom
Joined: August 8th, 2012
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