Air Source Heat Pump Underfloor Heating

Floor heating and air source heat pump

Floor heating is an excellent partner for air source heat pumps. The efficiency of the air source heat pump increases as the required flow temperature decreases. In short, this means that the lower the cooler you can run the system, the lower the operating cost.

If designed and installed properly, floor heating can operate at very low temperatures. This makes floor heating and air source heat pumps a perfect combination for home heating.

Why can underfloor heating work with an air source heat pump?

The floor heating system has a larger heat radiator area, so compared with a traditional radiator, it may occupy one or two square meters on your wall. The floor heating has a very large heat exchange surface.

Let us understand the working principle of the radiator in more detail...

The radiator is about the temperature difference between the radiator itself and the desired room temperature. So if your radiator runs at 60 degrees and you want to keep the room at 20 degrees, then a small radiator can do the job, albeit inefficiently. In this case, the system will work very hard to keep the temperature so high.

If you install a larger radiator (floor heating or oversized radiator), the system can operate at temperatures as low as 30 degrees, and you will still get the required 20 degrees in the room. Since the system works at a lower temperature, it is inherently more efficient.

Air source heat pump heat pump size

The size of the heat pump is usually specified by the heat pump supplier and is often smaller than the size of an equivalent boiler-most boilers are "oversized", usually about 20% to allow heating etc. Heat pumps are usually designed for steady-state conditions and are therefore more compact in size.

The radiator also has a major impact on the efficiency of the system. Studies in Europe have proved that floor heating used with air source heat pumps is 20% more effective than when used with radiators, and ground source heat pumps used for floor heating are an astonishing 30% more effective. The design of the floor heating system should also be maximized to provide the greatest advantage. The trick here is to design the floor heating system so that the flow temperature required for floor heating is as close as possible to the flow temperature of the heat pump: We have specially designed the floor heating layout for use with the heat pump. Maximize these efficiencies.

What are the overall benefits of installing underfloor heating for your air source heat pump?

The first and most important thing is that underfloor heating can run cool, which helps the system maintain efficiency instead of overwork. In addition, since there is no radiator unit on the inner wall, the aesthetics of floor heating may be ideal, which provides more wall space and flexibility for creative interior design and furniture layout.

For new builds and large-scale renovations, it usually makes sense to install floor heating with air source heat pumps. This is usually the best option in terms of the future-oriented approach of a more efficient and sustainable lifestyle.

If the underfloor heating is not done well, it may be very expensive. For example, suppose that one room has a coverage system and the rest of the rooms have screeds. Since you cannot get as much heat through the cladding, the entire system needs to run very hot to keep a room warm. Therefore, you need to lower the other thermostats to balance the system. This will affect the efficiency of the entire heating system and reduce the efficiency of your heat pump.