Heat Pumps should last for 15 - 20 years and generally come with a 3 - 7 year warranty. A heat pump system will benefit from annual servicing to ensure that all the mechanical connections are sound, settings are at their optimum and that the heat collector is working properly. Regular professional servicing may also be required to validate extended warranties, this varies from manufacture to manufacture. Depending on the make and model of heat pump you may be able to complete some of the filter cleaning activities to ensure your heat pump continues to perform efficiently.

Yes. A lot of heat pump manufactures have their own smart control system to support their heat pump. Depending on the manufacturer, smart remote access to your heating system will let you control settings and temperature via website and optional controllers. You may also be able to download an app to your phone or tablet. These smart controls will allow you to see how much energy you are using, allowing you to spot trends and vary your heating to match your needs with maximum efficiency and minimum cost. These advanced controls also mean that both service engineers and your installers can access your system remotely to check your system is running as efficiently as possible and troubleshooting if ever necessary. Heat Pump Controls are also easy to use. Simple controls allow you to easily adjust the temperature, so that it’s never too hot or too cold.

Yes, if you currently use non-electric heating you will have a bigger electricity bill, but no oil or gas bill. This is because the heat pump uses electrical power to gather free heat energy from the source, but your overall expenditure on energy will be considerably less. Gas Boilers will have an efficiency of up to 97% and Oil Boilers up to 95% however the efficiency of a heat pump can be above 400%. To further reduce the cost of heating your home Electric Ireland has developed a Heat Pump Price Plan. This price plan offers reduced day and night rates for homes using heat pump systems.

Our engineers will set your legionnaires cycle to come on at super off-peak (cheapest) electricity time maximising your energy savings. This is a setting that can only be changed by a trained engineer as you do not have access through your heat pump control interface and is normally set at commissioning to come on at 5am on a Saturday morning.

There are three main types of Heat Pumps:

• Air Source Heat Pumps - The air source heat pump needs to be located outside in the open air, and uses a fan to draw air into it. This air then flows over a heat exchanger, which contains a refrigerant liquid. An evaporator uses the latent heat from the air to heat the refrigerant liquid sufficiently until it boils and turns to a gas. This gas is then compressed by a compressor, which causes it to significantly increase in temperature. An additional heat exchanger removes the heat from the refrigerant (turning it back to a liquid), which can then be used as useful heat.

• Ground/Water Source Heat Pump- A ground source heat pump system uses heat trapped beneath the ground and boosts it to a higher temperature using a heat pump. This heat is then used to provide home heating or hot water. The heat pump performs the same role as a boiler does in a central heating system, but uses ambient heat from the ground rather than burning fuel to generate heat. This may also be known as Geothermal Heat.

• Exhaust Air Heat Pumps - An exhaust air heat pump extracts air via ventilation ducts positioned in the wet rooms of the house such as bath rooms, kitchens and utility rooms. These heat pumps are build houses or new apartments where they have been designed with the necessary ventilation system and should not be retrofitted.

Heat pumps transfer heat by circulating a substance called a refrigerant through a cycle of alternating evaporation and condensation. A compressor pumps the refrigerant between two heat exchangers. In one heat exchanger, the evaporator, the refrigerant is evaporated at low pressure and absorbs heat from its surroundings. The refrigerant is then compressed en-route to the heat exchanger, the condenser, where it condenses at high pressure. At this point, it releases the free heat it absorbed earlier in the cycle. The heat from the fluid is transferred to the water in your heating system, including radiators and underfloor heating, as well as your hot water tank.

• Heat Pumps are highly energy-efficient. They can provide more heating output than the energy they consume.

• Lower Operating costs. Compared to gas or oil boilers that burn fuel, heat pumps transfer heat from air, ground, or water sources resulting in lower energy consumption and reduced operating costs.

• Environmentally friendly. By using electricity instead of burning fossil fuels, heat pumps have lower carbon emissions. Reducing reliance on gas or oil helps lower greenhouse gas emissions.