Heat pumps
A heat pump is a device that draws heat energy from the building's surroundings (air, ground or water) and transfers it to the central heating installation. In this way, it obtains clean, ecological energy at low costs (electricity used to power the compressor). It is used for heating the building, utility water, and also for cooling rooms in hot weather.
While looking for a comfrotable and cheap solution for heating of your home we often think about using a heat pump. Most importantly, we want the heat pump to provide lower costs of our heating and we want it to be relaialble to us for many years. The reason for that is that the prices of fuels are changing rapidly. They are getting higher every year and it is difficult to predict what the situation will be in the next few years.
Two-thirds of the cost of maintaining a building are related to the heating. By using an inexpensive heat source, we can ensure low heating costs for up to 50 years.
Currenlty heat pumps are a reliable, economical and environmentally friendly source of heat with a guaranteed future. In Switzerland, every third house is already equipped with a heat pump.
Heat pumps are divided into different types.
The first and most popular type is the air-water heat pump, which draws energy from the outside air using a medium and, after compressing it, uses that heat to heat the water. The second type, i.e. a ground source heat pump (brine-water type), uses energy from the ground as its heat source. This type of a heat pump is very efficient and can work as the only source of heating the house.
Why should you consider heating your home with a heat pump?
Lower costs of building a house - choosing a heat pump deos not require you to build a chimney. We do not have to waste our time looking for good quality fuel at an affordable price – this is the main problem for most people as they can use a fuel that would affect the durability of the boiler, its failure rate and the cost of heating itslef, but the heat pump is one of the cheapest heating methods out there and does not require onerous operation - it boils down only to the appropriate controller settings and adjusting the operation of the installation to the individual needs of users. The amazing quick return on investment is really noticible compared to normal heating - you are lookign at about 5- 7 years on average to return your investment. Also with a long lifetime of the heat pump - with proper installation up to 50 years.
A heat pump can serve as the only source of heating for a building (the exception is an air-to-water heat pump), or it can easily be connected to another installation, e.g. solar collectors or a fireplace with a water jacket. The heat pump can also work with a gas, oil or solid fuel boiler. Another great thing about a heat pump is that in addition to heating, the heat pump can also cool rooms in the summer, increasing comfort in the building.
The usage of electricity from biofuels, solar energy and wind is steadily increasing - in the future heat pumps will be powered solely by electricity from renewable energy sources.
