Heat pumps are usually associated with high acquisition costs and heating of modern new buildings, but the opposite remains true, and in the case of heat pumps (hereinafter referred to as TČ), the higher the heat loss of the house, the greater the savings achieved by the operation of the TČ.

Principle of heat pump

On what principle does the heat pump work? It's simple, imagine a refrigerator. Reverse its function to get an idea of how the heat pump works. Heat energy is taken from the ground, air or water and thanks to the heat pump cycle it is transferred to a higher level, where it is suitable for use for heating (or water heating). The heat pump works with the primary and secondary circuits. The primary is the one that is in contact with nature. Secondary circuit, that's a system of radiators, underfloor heating, a ceiling radiant system in your house. And why does TC help owners of older houses the most?

1. Evaluation

The heat pump is a full-fledged and high-quality heating source that reduces the cost of heat production and in the case of a renovated house or non-insulated building, the investment in TČ is returnable within a few years and thus appreciates your property. You can also use state-provided boiler subsidies or the Green Savings financial contribution to purchase TČ. The criterion for obtaining a subsidy is the use of an accumulation vessel in a heating system with a heat pump.

2. Hybrid solutions

The hybrid system allows you to cleverly process thermal energy by combining from air and ground. This system can be suitably supplemented by a power plant made of photovoltaic cells, which will cover the electrical consumption of both the house and the heat pump. Funds that would otherwise have been spent on the operation and maintenance of non-electronic heating systems are being spent. However, your existing gas or electric boiler, or fireplace with heat exchanger, can still serve as an additional or backup heat source.

3. Effective regulation

The comfort of the heat pump in the home environment is accompanied by the possibility of setting room temperature and control via wi-fi interface. Room temperature preferences are often individual. Someone spends most of their time in the office and returns home in the evening, someone prefers a warmer or colder environment. You can choose from individual regulations that have a wide range of control options. From standard thermostats to smart home-level regulations.

4. Heating and cooling

A heat pump is a very versatile means of maintaining thermal comfort in the home both in winter and in the summer months. With a heat pump you get one source for heating but also for cooling. Cooling in the air/water system then benefits in regenerating the temperature in the soil. In many cases, the TC also provides heating of the pool. The system thus makes it possible to intelligently process thermal energy from the air or from the ground, depending on seasonal conditions and client requirements.

5. Return

As the prices of heat pumps have fallen in the last decade, the return on investment is also being shortened. Money put into a heat pump will be returned to most households between the age of 6 and 8. For a specific illustration, use the following example. The efficiency of operation is also affected by the heating factor TČ (cop). This shows the ratio of the heat energy obtained to the electricity consumed. The heating factor therefore affects the economy of the heat pump operation. The higher the heating factor, the more efficient the heat pump is. EcoGEO heat pumps, for example, boast one of the highest COP on the market.

Introducing the ecoAIR air/water outdoor compact heat pump with a controllable output of 3-12 kW.

EcoAIR is assembled from the highest quality components

1. Surface with high anti-corrosion protection.
2. Compressor Copeland Scroll + EVI + Iverter
3. High quality Alfa Laval heat exchangers
4. High efficiency Grunfos circulation pump
5. Carel expansion valve
6. Ziehl-Abegg fan
7. Four-way reversing valve
8. Filter

The most important for residents is surely the question of whether the room temperature will be pleasant, even if it is very cold outside? The first two weeks of February 2021 were quite cold. A very recent evaluation of 20 air/water heat pump systems in which the measured values are continuously recorded showed the following: The average temperature of the outside air for heat pumps evaluated during this time was -3.6 ° C (As cold as it is, the fact that in the last 50 years there have been only 5 months with average temperatures below -3.5 ° C) shows.

The SCOP of the 17 systems (the top three in fully renovated houses were not taken into account) during this time was 2.3, with a range between 1.6 and 2.8 – that is, even in such cold weather, it was possible to produce more than twice as much heat could be generated from the surrounding air. The system with the lowest efficiency had to work with the lowest average outside air temperature of -10.2 ° C. Heating rods were used in only five systems and were taken into account when determining efficiency. The required heating was provided by all systems.

The fact that heat pumps can be successfully used even at very low outdoor temperatures is also shown by the fact that they are already widespread in countries with significantly harsher winters, such as Scandinavia. There are products on the market that can work even at -25 ° C without a heating element.

In addition to the air/water system, there are also geothermal solutions, that is, earth / water. Geothermal solutions are mistakenly perceived as very expensive. In fact, it is a more efficient technology than air / water and, in addition, it really does not have to be more expensive. But about this in the next article.

With regard to renovation, the following question is often asked: What happens if the heat pump is installed first, and later the building undergoes renovation? Would the heat pump then be oversized? The subsequent renovation will primarily bring an increase in the efficiency of the heat pump. Heat pumps provide the required heat both in mild autumn and in frosty winter, which means that they must be able to respond very flexibly throughout the heating season. Therefore, oversizing (except in extreme cases) is not a big technical problem.

In addition, heat pumps with inverter technology have now become almost standard, allowing the heat pump to control its performance and thus provide a flexible power range with high efficiency.

It is therefore clear that heat pumps can reasonably be used even in existing buildings. In principle, it is always better to renovate first, but it is not strictly necessary. In the vast majority of cases, a good heat pump solution can also be implemented without renovation (or slightly renovated). There are many companies that specialize in such cases.