air source heat pumps

A heat pump works simply by moving the heat energy from one place to another. Your fridge works on the same principle.
Air Source Heat Pumps
By using the same process the Ground Source Heating System removes heat stored in the earth and transfers it into your home. The sun naturally replenishes the heat removed from the ground. This energy source is renewable, inexhaustible, free and cannot be taxed.
How is the heat transferred from my garden into my home?
The earth has the ability to absorb and store heat from the sun. This heat is extracted from the earth using a ground loop. The ground loop is a continuous closed loop of special pipe buried in your garden. Water is circulated through the buried pipes where it absorbs heat from the surrounding earth. The ground loop is connected to an air source heat pump inside your home that takes heat out of the circulating water and transfers it into your heating circuit.
How are the loops installed?
The special loops are either buried in trenches at a depth of 1 – 2 meters or installed in bore holes. Each method is as efficient as the other. Available space determines which method is used.
1. The brine solution (alcohol/water) circulating in the ground loop picks up warmth from the earth and transfers it to the Heat Pump.
2. This warmth evaporates the refrigerant circulating in the Heat Pump, causing a gas.
3. In the compressor, this gas is compressed, creating heat.
4. The heat is conveyed into the house’s heating and hot water system.
5. The pressure of the gas is reduced via an expansion valve and the refrigerant turns into a liquid form.
Air Source Heat Pumps
Thermal energy is extracted from the air, using a fan which passes air over a collector plate. The system is still effective at -20°C and is used extensively in Northern Europe.