Decision making

When choosing a heat pump and installer, not all are the same. Experience and a good product can make a huge difference to the outcome of your investment. Buy cheap and buy twice is never truer in the purchasing of a heat pump. A small saving on your capital purchase could cost you in significantly higher energy bills for many years to come. Similarly, installation is key to getting the best out of your system. A well-designed and installed system will exceed your expectations and deliver both savings and a warm home. We at Eartheat are happy to be measured against the most stringent criteria, as we believe we have the best product and installation service in our area.

Annual efficiency of heat pumps

Heat pump efficiency is measured in several different ways, the most important being 'Annual Efficiency' whereby the function is rated over a complete calendar year, experiencing the variation of both summer and winter conditions.

It would be inconclusive to audit a heat pumps efficiency using just one particular measurement condition, for example the annual efficiency of an air-source heat pump will be excellent if only measured during warm weather conditions. Auditing during cold weather, the efficiency will drop dramatically on a poorly designed pump.

Manufacturers may choose to audit the Co-efficient Of Performance or (C.O.P.) during one particular operating period. The result for example may be a 'C.O.P of 3', which interprets that in those particular conditions the heat pump can produce 3 times the energy is uses, thus a net surplus of two thirds.

Please be aware that a high C.O.P rate, measured in special conditions will produce an unrealistic performance and during very cold weather when you really need your heat pump to perform well it may be running very inefficiently and using a lot of energy.

As an end user, you will want to ensure your heat pump runs effectively. Therefore 'Annual Efficiency' is a more realistic way of measuring your heat pumps efficiency, incorporating both the warm summer days and the more extreme winter months.

C.O.P can also be measured without all the system components, such as brine and circulation pumps, and this can offer unrealistically high performance, but not the complete picture of the energy use of the heat pump. Ensure your C.O.P. measurements include for all the components running

System Design

The size of your property, geographic location, number of occupants, insulation properties and hot water use, affects the design of your system. In addition ground conditions, topography, proximity to water and area of land available will determine the size of your heat pump method of collection and size of collector. This is the fuel for heating your home and a well-designed system will maximise the available resources. A poorly designed system may be inefficient and expensive to run.

Hot water production

Concentration should be made primly on how quickly a sufficient quantity of hot water can be produced for the household. A good heat pump will do this whilst maintaining high annual efficiency.

The temperature of the hot water produced by the heat pump is no hotter than required, 20 Percent or more of energy output is used to produce hot water. Annual efficiency is significantly reduced for every degree of hotter water demanded. It is more efficient to produce plentiful hot water quickly, and when required. Unnecessarily hot water production will dramatically reduce performance.

Installers

We at Eartheat take full ownership in ensuring you are offered the best possible solution to your heating requirements. Following our telephone contact and preliminary discussion we will arrange a no charge site visit to evaluate your home / property and the requirements of the occupants. There is no hard sell and if we don’t think your circumstances are appropriate to a heat pump we will say.

We will assess how much heat and hot water must be produced (sizing) determining what is required of the heat pump to combine comfort and efficient operational costs. Correct 'Sizing' will determine the balance between investment and operational costs. A large heat pump will offer low running costs, but a higher initial investment, alternatively a smaller heat pump will require a smaller investment, but higher running costs.

Our installations are performed by fully accredited, experienced and qualified heat pump engineers. Installing neatly and precisely, adapting to the house / property needs whilst creating the best possible operating economy and comfort. Our commissioning service offers you a clear introduction to your new heat pump as a user and any after service, if required.

A system installed by an experienced installer, who understands collecting and delivery criteria and can fine-tune your system to maximise your output, will result in a vastly improved return on your investment and reduced running costs.