5 top tips for choosing the right heat pump for your home
- Macbrook Gas
- Nov 25
- 4 min read
Thinking about an air source heat pump for your home but not too sure where to start? Then
let us help with some useful tips to support your research. There is a lot of information out
there when it comes to low carbon heating so we have shared bitesize advice designed to
develop your knowledge of heat pumps and get you ready to install one in your home.
A good place to start is to answer the question – what is a heat pump?
To summarise, an air source heat pump uses the heat energy contained within the outside
air and converts this into energy that can be used to heat your home. A fan draws air into the
heat pump where it passes over an evaporator – here, a liquid refrigerant (usually R32 or
R290) absorbs the heat from the air and boils off into a gas. This refrigerant gas then goes
through a compressor, increasing its heat content, before passing into a heat exchanger. At
this stage the heat is transferred to the water of your heating system which circulates
through your hot water cylinder as well as your radiators and/or underfloor heating to warm
up your rooms. Finally, as the refrigerant gas cools, it condenses back into a liquid where it
returns to the evaporator ready to start the process again.
So, how do you go about selecting the right heat pump for your home?
1. Accurately assess your home’s heating and hot water requirements
A crucial part of any heat pump installation is the planning stage and no corners should be
cut. By accurately assessing your property, calculating its heat loss and factoring in your
household’s requirements, including room temperature preferences and hot water demand,
the size of heat pump you will need can be determined. During this stage, it will also be
confirmed whether your current heat emitters are suitable or if new or additional radiators
may be required.
Our first tip therefore is to ensure that an accurate heat loss calculation of your property is
carried out right at the beginning.
2. Understand heat pump energy efficiency
By knowing what’s efficient and what’s not, you can choose an efficient heat pump which will
generate more energy into the heating system for every kilowatt (kW) of electricity it uses to
operate. This is when it is useful to know what SCOP stands for and, in particular, what is a
good SCOP value. SCOP refers to Seasonal Coefficient of Performance and it is a value
which is produced by calculating the overall performance of a heat pump in a given heating
season. Let’s take an example of the Grant Aerona³ 6kW air source heat pump – this heat
pump has a SCOP of 4.61 (at low temperature in average climate conditions) which means
for every 1kW of energy the heat pump uses to work, it is producing over 4kW of energy into
the heating system.
Our second tip is to look out for energy efficient heat pumps – the higher the SCOP value,
the more efficient the heat pump.
3. Check if planning permission is needed
In most cases, a heat pump installation does not require planning permission because it
should fall under permitted development. Provided certain conditions are met, such as the
heat pump size not exceeding 1.5 cubic meters and your property not being a listed building,
the installation of an air source heat pump at a detached dwelling will often fall within
permitted development rights.
However, it is always recommended to check with your Local Authority Planning Department
to make sure you are complying with local planning requirements. You can also read more
about heat pumps and planning permission in Grant UK’s blog.
4. Think about where a heat pump can be located outside your property
Air source heat pumps are installed outdoors so the good news is you do not need to fit a
heat pump where your current boiler is fitted inside your home. Instead, however, a suitable
location outside your home will need to be identified and prepared. Here are some key
things to remember when it comes to siting a heat pump:
Heat pumps need an unobstructed airflow around them so it is important that
sufficient clearances are maintained around the unit
Nearby windows need to be considered as well as neighbouring properties – heat
pumps today are incredibly quiet but the positioning of a heat pump should factor in
noise levels
R290 heat pumps will require additional clearances around them known as protective
zones where there cannot be certain features, like drains or door openings
Heat pumps should be installed on a level, solid base as per the manufacturer’s
guidelines – if you have loose stones and gravel, you may need to prepare a suitable
base, such as concrete, to be laid before the heat pump is installed.
5. Work with your heat pump installer to design the right system for your home
When it comes to assessing your home, specifying an efficient heat pump, discussing
permitted development rights, and finding a suitable location to position a heat pump, your
heat pump installer will be able to advise you with each of these important steps. This is why
it is so important that you work closely with your installer so that they fully understand your
requirements and so that you can be equipped with the knowledge you need to make an
informed decision about your next heating system.
This is where Macbrook Gas are here to help. Macbrook Gas are air source heat pump
installers with TrustMark and MCS accreditations and can support with system designs and
quotations through to installations, customer handover and post-installation support.
Furthermore, as G1 ASHP Installers, Macbrook Gas can activate 7 year guarantees on the
Grant Aerona 290 and Aerona³ heat pumps they install (Terms and Conditions apply).
Take your first steps towards a sustainable heat pump heating system and contact Macbrook
Gas today.
Image assets:
- For imagery of Grant heat pumps and the Aerona Smart Controller, please download
any of the images from the Grant Media Library here:
pumps
- For the useful heat pump infographics, please download one or more of our
infographics here:
- For the Aerona 290 YouTube video:
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