It is quite evident that the bigger your house is, the larger the heat pump it will need. You must be wondering the big heat pump you just bought does not seem enough, why? It is because factors like the age of the property, heat loss from the rooms, type of materials used, etc. all come into play. For newer properties, it is easy to calculate the size. This is because newer houses need to be insulated as part of regulations. You can accurately calculate the heating requirements at the design stage itself. It is the old houses that pose a big challenge. A detailed survey is thus warranted before you pick a heat pump.
Key considerations while choosing a heat pump
While the number of rooms in your house is a major consideration while calculating the heating requirements, there are many other questions that you need to have an approximate answer to:
- What is the range of seasonal temperature fluctuation?
- What types of rooms exist and the type of usage?
- What is the comfortable temperature range you want inside the house?
- Is there any underfloor heating? If yes, what size?
- What is the size of the radiators?
- What is the type of insulation present?
- How much is the heat loss in the property?
As the number of rooms and their usage pattern change, the heating requirement changes too. For example, living rooms need higher heating than the bedroom. The bathroom is kept the warmest in the house. Hence the more living space and bathrooms your property have, the bigger the heating pump you will need.
Houses made of cement and concrete have typically lower thermal insulation than those made of wood. Therefore, the kind of insulation materials you have used across the house also determine the amount of heating your property needs.
Type of pump is also a major factor in determining the size
There are two types of heating pump, the ground source heat pump, and the air source heat pump. A newly constructed house will typically need an 8kW ground source heat pump but, a 10kW air source heat pump. This applies if the size of the house is above 100 sq mts and below 200 sq mts. The variance in size is to account for the efficiency and how temperatures fluctuate at the source. While the ground source temperature does not fluctuate much, the temperature of the air around the house will fluctuate often. Hence the air source pump needed will typically be of a higher capacity than the ground source.
The hunt for the heating pump does not stop at finding the right size though. You need to consider the amount of maintenance you will be able to manage, the kind of service you expect to be provided, the kind of warranty you are offered for the unit, whether you are connected to the grid or not, etc.
Things to keep in mind while selecting a heat pump
- The energy rating of the setup
- How will the unit perform in low temperatures?
- Location, where it is installed, is important
- How often do you need to clean the air filters?
A heating pump comes in all types of sizes from 4kW to 12 kW. Now depending on the size of your property, you can get one installed by experts from Entreprises MST or book a consultation to understand how everything works if you are a novice. Once again, it is not easy to size up the heating pump you need without professional assistance. By following standard procedures and safety considerations, experts will guarantee the comfort you seek for a long time.
