Heat pumps - how do they work?
Use an old-style bicycle pump for a while and it will get hot. That's because gas (air) is being compressed. Spray an aerosol can and the valve area will become cold. That's because the compressed gas in the aerosol can is expanding.
Heat pumps (like refrigerators) have a system of pipes containing gas (refrigerant) that is continuously expanding in one part of the system and compressing in another. When the gas is being compressed, it gets hot. A heat pump's exterior unit compresses the gas, then pumps it to the interior unit where the gas runs over a series of finned coils, giving off its heat.
The gas is then returned to the outside unit, where it expands and runs through another set of finned coils, which become cold. The cold gas is then recompressed and the cycle continues. For summer cooling, the refrigerant flow is reversed, so the interior unit becomes cool, while the exterior warm.
Heat pumps shift more heat than the electrical energy consumed in compressing the refrigerant and running the fans, making them highly-efficient methods of heating - up to three times as much in the right conditions.
Heat pumps are
basically space heaters. The simplest versions are designed for a
single room; the most complex, for a whole house. It takes 10 to 20
minutes to bring a room up to temperature, after which the level will
be maintained within one or two degrees.
Heat Pumps - how much?
Each HotChilly quote will be different due to factors such as, product choice and installation requirements.
Installation costs vary depending on the distance between interior and exterior units, the possibility of extra electrical work and the number of units to be installed. A basic ‘back to back’ system is where the interior and exterior units are on either side of the same exterior house wall, and this is the most cost-effective installation.
Therefore there are no standard prices. Contact HotChilly for your FREE, individually designed quote.
