subject: The Air Source Heat Pump- A More Viable Heating Option For Businesses [print this page] The Air Source Heat Pump- A More Viable Heating Option For Businesses
Throughout the world, everyone from individual consumers to multinational corporations are looking for ways to become green. This has led to a push to find sustainable fuels. For businesses, one current technology that could help do less damage to the environment is the air source heat pump. This piece of technology works by bringing in air from the exterior of a building, passing it through a series of compressors and coils, and taking the heat out of the air. This heat is then used to heat the building. On a mild day, it produces roughly three units of heat energy for every unit of electrical energy. Furthermore, on very warm days, up to four units of heat energy can be extracted. Businesses are able to heat their indoor areas for far less energy and, as a result, for much less money. Since even cold air is actually well above absolute zero, there is always some heat energy that can be tapped. This creates a perfect dynamic that is far too rare: something good for business and for the environment! This remarkable system, however, loses its efficacy as the air temperature decreases. This means it is far more usable when it is hot. However, in most parts of the UK, it is warm enough, even during the winter, for an air source heat pump to be a more efficient and less expensive alternative to a standard resistance heater. This is because, until air temperature drops to -18 degrees Celsius, the heat pump still gets out more heating energy than the electrical energy that it puts in. In addition, because there is no resistance heating element, there is much less of a risk for a fire. This advantage will, of course, be of immense value to a company; it hardly helps productivity and efficiency to have a part of your business building burn down! One thing to keep in mind is that these systems do require electricity. This means that there still is an impact on the environment because many power plants are not sustainable. A coal power plant continues to emit carbon dioxide and contributes to global warming and climate change. If the power is derived from sustainable sources like wind turbines or solar panels, then the amount of negative environmental effects is vastly decreased. Furthermore, many models of air source heat pumps use HFCs--hydrofluorocarbons--in order to increase their efficiency. These chemicals, while incredibly efficient at what they do, can damage the ozone layer and contribute to climate change. Thus, even though an air source heat pump is much more efficient and eco-friendly than a traditional heater, it still does damage to the environment. Nevertheless, it is a bargain and improvement.
