Andrew Grimsley, Nu-Heat’s Technological Director describes how this can be reached:

“There are a lot of factors to take into account when planning a combined underfloor heating and heat pump technique, but how productive it is will fundamentally rely on the insulation ranges of the residence and, as a result the stream temperature the warmth pump has to produce.”

Flow temperatures

All heat pump varieties work making use of equivalent ideas – by harvesting vitality from the surroundings and ‘compressing’ it to a temperature that can be used for a home’s scorching h2o and heating requirements.

Probably the premier one aspect affecting the efficiency of a warmth pump is the flow temperature that it is questioned to generate. The increased this temperature the far more operate the compressor has to do and the much less successful it gets to be. As a outcome, a heating technique that can operate with reduced stream temperatures, these kinds of as underfloor heating which usually operates at close to 55oC, enables the pump to improve its usefulness and decrease both its carbon creation and the gas fees for the home-owner.

When underfloor heating methods are specifically created to be fed by a warmth pump, additional tubing and more effective ground constructions can be utilized to allow even decrease flow temperatures, normally 35oC – 45oC, whilst nevertheless achieving the required air temperature inside of the residence (averaging 21 oC in residing areas). Thanks to the smaller sized area spot of the warmth emitter, a typical radiator method needs a considerably increased movement temperature to obtain the identical inner air temperature. As toplotne črpalke and warmth pumps are perfect associates as they are equally effectively suited to the lower temperatures associated in maximizing efficiency.

When operating UFH with a GSHP, an open flow weather compensated program is favored, with an external sensor checking any deviation in outside temperature, evaluating stream and return temperatures on the UFH, then modifying accordingly.

Insulation, insulation, insulation!

With underfloor heating, heat passes into the space from the floor and it is as a result crucial to minimize developing warmth reduction, which includes downward warmth losses into the ground or the floor under. Current adjustments to Element L of the Building Restrictions have concentrated consideration on the value of insulation levels inside of domestic dwellings and in a new constructing that satisfies the laws, there will usually be an sufficient stage of floor insulation, and in these situation pumps can supply four to five kilowatts of free of charge power for each 1 kilowatt of electric power employed to electricity them.

Typically, the goal need to be to insulate the constructing so that much less than 50 watts of heating are required per square meter of flooring area. This will then make certain that the UFH h2o temperatures can be stored to a minimum and the heat pump can work at a larger Coefficient of Overall performance (COP) -typically 4 – 5 for a ground resource unit. In basic it is a lot more price effective to increase insulation levels than it is to install a bigger pump and structures that exceed the needs of Element L of the Constructing Laws are most appropriate.

In theory, there is absolutely nothing to stop a heat pump from operating in a constructing with a greater heat reduction, this sort of as a home that requires up to 80 watts for every square meter. Nevertheless, greater heat loss needs higher heating drinking water temperatures from the heat pump – normally 55°C rather than 35 – 45°C, meaning the warmth pump’s COP might experience even though the warmth pump may nevertheless be enough to heat the property.