Hot Water Heat Pumps

The most efficient electricity powered heating systems available!

The best thing about heat pumps is that they can be used almost anywhere, keeping your home warm no matter how cold it is outside. New generation heat pumps can efficiently produce warm air even in sub zero temperatures and can also be used to heat your hot water system.

How do they work?
Heat pumps are basically the opposite of refrigerators in that instead of taking the heat from inside the fridge and pumping it out leaving only cold air, they take what little heat there is outside and then pump it inside. This is why they are so efficient because they simply 'pump' hot air from outside to inside rather than heating cold air up. The most efficient form of heat pumps are air to water heat pumps and the heat source of the future, geothermal heat pumps.

Air to Water Heat Pumps

How does an Air to Water Heat Pump work?
Air to water heat pumps take the heat from the outside air and use to heat up water which is transferred to the home heating system. As stated above they use similar technology to a fridge but in reverse, making them extremely efficient because they don't heat air but instead just move heat around. They differ from more common air to air heat pumps in that instead of pumping the heat from outside directly into the home, the heat is used to heat water which is then used to warm your home. Water holds heat much better than air which means you get longer lasting heat from the system compared to an air to air heat pump.

Why is an Air to Water Heat Pump better than an air to air heat pump?
As stated above, the heat pump has uses the heat in the air outside to warm the water. This water is then pumped around the house to be used in radiator heating, underfloor heating, hot water cylinders and even for heating swimming pools.

The advantage of an Air to Water Heat Pump is that it can be used for central heating. The water is pumped around the entire home making every room extremely comfortable to be in. An air to air heat pump usually only heats a single room or area.

The other advantage is that transferring heat to water is extremely efficient. To transfer the same amount of heat as you can pumping one litre of water you would need to pump 1700 litres of air.

Many heat pump units have been specifically designed to heat in cold climates, perfect for Taupo's cold winters. They are able to continue to operate efficiently and effectively down to -15C.

Geothermal Heat Pumps

What is a geothermal heat pump?
Geothermal heat pumps (GHP), also known as ground source heat pumps, use the warmth that the earth holds underground to heat your home. A geothermal heat pump is made up of a series of long coiled pipes which are buried approximately 2 metres underground and are attached to a heat pump. While GHPs have a high capital cost they are incredibly efficient source of heat for your home and, because the temperature underground stays at a constant temperature year round, they can provide an excellent amount of heat no matter what the season.

How does a geothermal heat pump work?
A geothermal heat pump works on almost exactly the same principle as an air to water heat pump except that instead of taking existing warmth from the air and using it to heat your home, a geothermal heat pump uses the warmth from underground. The heat pump transfers this heat to water which is then pumped around your home to your hot water system, underfloor heating or radiators.

Geothermal heat pumps are extremely efficient, with 4kwh of heat for heating the house or water being produced for every 1kwh of electricity used. Low running costs and CO2 emissions also make these heat pumps are environmentally friendly. Since the heat source for the system is hidden 2m underground there is no need for any ugly external equipment above ground. You can even plant trees and use the land on top of the coils! Water is also used in the pipes so that if there is any leakage there is no danger of refrigerants or other chemicals into the ground.