How they work

Air source heat pumps extract heat energy from the air outside of your home, even when the outside temperature is below zero. If you think about it, absolute zero is minus 273° C, so there’s a lot of heat energy in the air at minus 10° C! This heat energy is then used to heat up the water in your heating system and to provide domestic hot water. It’s an effective, low carbon solution for heating your home and can be combined with a number of renewable and energy efficient technologies, such as Solar Power, to deliver sustainable Eco-style living.

Heat pumps are extremely efficient, often producing between 3-4kWh of heat energy for every 1kW of electrical energy consumed. This is an efficiency of 300-400% compared to  a new gas boiler, where the efficiency is typically around 90%

Heat pumps work all year round, even when the outside air temperature is below 0°C.

Suitable properties

Heat pumps can be installed in new and existing properties and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant provides a rebate payment for all eligible installations, covering some of the cost of installing a heat pump.