Heat Pump Frequently Asked Questions
Please explore our website for more information about our MCS Heat Pump Design and Installation Services or contact us on 01303 248648 to speak to one of our Reina Group Heat Pump team, or email us on hp@reinagroup.co.uk
[toggle title=”What is a Heat Pump?”]
A heat pump is a low cost and environmentally friendly way to provide heating and hot water to your home.
Although quite new to the UK they are a proven and reliable technology. They were developed primarily in Sweden and almost all new homes there have heat pump heating systems.
Click here for more.
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[toggle title=”How does a Heat Pump work?”]
Heat pumps extract heat energy from an external source. Click here to find out more.
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[toggle title=”What are the different types of Heat Pump?”]
There are two basic types of heat pump:-
- Air Source Heat Pump (ashp)
- Ground Source Heat Pump (gshp)
As their name implies, Air Source Heat Pumps extract heat directly from the air, and so need a certain amount of space around them for air to circulate. Please click here for a video demonstration.
Ground Source Heat Pumps extract heat from the ground or bedrock via brine running through underground pipes, either laid horizontally in trenches or vertically in boreholes. Please click here for a video example. Available space determines which method is used. This groundwork generally makes gshp’s a more expensive option, although gshp’s are usually more efficient than ashp’s.
The choice between a ground source and air source heat pump depends on your specific requirements and the size and nature of your property. Please also take a look out our comprehensive guide to heat pumps for further information.
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[toggle title=”Will a Heat Pump Heat a building on the coldest winter day?”]
Yes it will. Thousands of these systems have been installed for many years in some of the coldest parts of the world. Click here to find out more information.
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[toggle title=”Will it provide enough hot water for baths, showers and domestic hot water?”]
With the correct design and equipment, all domestic hot water requirements would be provided by the air source or ground source heat pump throughout the year.
For more information, click here.
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[toggle title=”Can a Heat Pump also be used to cool my property?”]
Some models of heat pumps can act as both heating and cooling units. Click here to find out more
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[toggle title=”Why should I consider a Heat Pump?”]
Heat pumps have many advantages over more traditional technologies. These advantages can be classified under four main headings. Click here for more.
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[toggle title=”How is the heat from a Heat Pump distributed around the house?”]
Existing distribution systems e.g. radiators, under floor heating or a mixture of both, are used for heat distribution in your building. In commercial buildings, air distributed systems can be used.
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[toggle title=”Do Heat Pumps make much noise?”]
No, they hum like a large refrigerator. The units we supply have had many years of research and development to minimise any noise.
For more information on this, click here.
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[toggle title=”Can a system be placed in an old building?”]
Yes; systems can be installed into all types of building. For older or more complex buildings more engineering design may be required than for newly constructed ones.
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[toggle title=”Can I heat a swimming pool?”]
Yes; a system can be designed to either have a dedicated pump for an indoor or outdoor pool or it can be integrated with a heating and hot water system for the whole of your property.
For more information, click here.
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[toggle title=”Which manufacturer of Heat Pump or installer should I choose?”]
To qualify for the governments tariffs you will need to install a Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) approved heat pump and use a MCS accredited installer. We at Reina Group are MCS accredited installers and will only recommend MCS approved heat pumps that are known to be tried and tested for efficiency and reliability. Although we are independent of heat pump manufacturers, we are approved partners for the leading manufacturers in the UK including Nibe Energy Systems, Danfoss Heat Pumps, Vaillant, Mitsubishi Ecodan Heatking (TEV and Daikin Altherma)
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