My Air Source Heat Pump
This is my post on the air source heat pump I’ve installed in my latest self build. If you can’t view the video, please click here.
Take your foot off the gas!
The thing I’ve loved about doing a self build is incorporating new innovations. The one I’ve got the most excited about has been the little QUHZ air source heat pump as a sustainable way of heating the build.
So, as we move towards the ban of the boiler over the next 15 years, air source heat pumps are going to be necessary and yet they are still alien to most builders – and home owners.
Considering around 14% of UK greenhouse gas emissions come from homes and mostly gas boilers and only 1 million of the 29 million homes in the UK are using low-carbon methods, this is quite a problem.
What is an air source heat pump?
In case you haven’t heard of air source heat pumps, they absorb energy from the outside air here. Even when it’s freezing cold there is still plenty of energy to allow it to produce renewable heat for our homes.
The energy is essentially transferred and released inside, in my case through underfloor heating. Of course it would work with radiators as well.
It will also provide all my hot water too.
Because this was new territory for me I needed to do a lot of research to find the right one. And eventually I settled on the Ecodan QUHZ system from Mitsubishi Electric.
So the Ecodan I have is the perfect size for my build and fits neatly into the cupboard under the stairs.
The sound of silence
A big deal for me was any noise produced by the system, so I checked this out first and was astounded by how quiet it was.
All my hot water and space will be heated by the air source heat pump. Incredibly the hot water to my taps and shower is heated instantaneously directly via the thermal store.
An added bonus is I can control this via the MELCLoud app, wherever I am. Apparently you can even control it via Alexa now, but I haven’t tried that yet!
Heard about Renewable Heat Incentive?
Now I’m all about sustainability, but I’m not going to lie, it’s definitely appealing that I’m also going to benefit from the government’s grant scheme for heat pumps the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive. No brainer right?!
Eventually we will all need to move to renewable ways of heating our homes, so it’s worth starting to think about. I’ll keep you posted on how I’m finding it.
I must just mention that mine was installed by EcoInstaller, because they have been fantastic from start to finish so credit where credit is due!
If you’re interested in other aspects of my build, please do check out these posts:
Juliet Balcony To Fall In Love With
Glass Doors To Enhance Home Interiors
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