Renewable Energy Sources - Heat Pump Technology

Heat pump technology is long established and very efficent means of converting renewable or mains electricity to heat for domestic use. Heat pumps are an offshoot of refrigeration technology, capable of providing both heat and cooling. They exploit the principle that some chemicals absorb heat when condensed to liquid and release heat when evaporate into gas. This is a carbon efficient system, providing reliable space and water heating to homes throughout mainland Europe and North America. The seemingly exponential rises in fuel prices in the UK and Ireland have led to a recent surge in the popularity of cost effective heat pump technology systems.
There are two main types of ground sourced heat pump systems – closed loop and open. The former circulates an anti-freeze solution through a loop of plastic piping which is laid into the ground either horizontally or vertically. The second utilises groundwater from a supply well. This water is passed through a heat pump which extracts the available energy, which is then used in the heating and cooling of a building.
Heat pump systems have been shown to be some 3 to 4 times more efficient than a traditional domestic electrical heating system, capable of extracting energy equivalent to over 4 units of electrical energy from the earth for every 1 unit of electrical energy expended on running the system. With a sensible attitude to heat management these systems can result in up to 70% reductions in running costs and CO2 emissions.