Kevin Ellis, Grant UK’s Renewables Sales Manager, outlines the importance of the design phase for effective heat pump installations and highlights how merchant staff can make themselves stand out by providing effective customer support during this stage.
As discussed in the previous column, the Government’s low carbon heating strategy places heat pumps at the forefront. While air source heat pumps are not new, there are still many installers and merchants who are not yet engaging with this proven technology.
An air source heat pump installation is not the same as installing a traditional fossil fuel boiler and heating system, with thorough planning needed to accurately calculate the property’s heat loss, the correct heat pump size and appropriate heat emitters. For example, air source heat pumps are low temperature heating systems so there are some key differences to be aware of if you are currently more familiar with gas and oil boilers.
Typically operating at lower system flow temperatures, heat emitters will need a larger surface area to transfer heat into a room — this may mean that larger radiators are needed or an underfloor heating system with closer loop spacing may be more suitable.
It is also worth highlighting that the radiators on a low temperature system will not be as warm to the touch compared those working with a traditional boiler; however, provided the system has been sized correctly, the desired room temperatures can be achieved.
If you listen to our Net Zero Heating Show Podcast, many of our guests mention the importance of calculating the heat loss from the property and determining the heating and hot water demand of the household. The designed system needs to meet the requirements and expectations of the homeowner while also being able to work effectively with the fabric efficiency of the home.
The good news is, here at Grant UK, we have an in-house Design and Specification Team who can help merchants and their installers with this step.
The Grant eLearning Academy has a free on-demand course which provides merchants with an introduction to its Aerona³ R32 Air Source Heat Pump range, covering topics from how the unit works through to system design and heat emitter specification. Scan the QR code below to sign up:
