The costs of heating a building depend primarily on the thermal insulation of its external partitions, i.e. walls, windows, roof, floor on the ground or ceiling above unheated basements. Secondly, the type of ventilation used in the house has an impact, although ensuring thermal comfort for residents involves heating the air in the rooms. What role does the heat pump play in this? Check the benefits of using a heat pump in the process of thermal modernization of a building.
Heat pump and thermal modernization of the building
If we want to reduce expenses related to heating a house that was built several dozen years ago, we should start with its thermal modernization. In order for the money to be spent rationally and to bring the desired effect, it is good to first perform an energy audit of the house. It will show which elements of the house require increased thermal insulation so that the renovated building meets modern standards and the investment costs are returned within a short period of time.
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Thermal modernization of a single-family house
The main goal of thermal modernization is to reduce operating costs related to heating a single-family building. This means reducing the demand for the building's thermal power and replacing the heat source with a more efficient one.
After modernizing the house in terms of energy, taking into account the reduction of heat losses, you should think about replacing the heating installation. For many reasons, it will be beneficial if we decide to install an air heat pump that uses renewable energy sources, e.g. an air-water pump. When selecting a heat pump, you should analyze the value that will be obtained after thermal modernization. Heat pumps use energy stored in the air to create comfortable conditions in your home: warmth in winter, pleasant coolness in summer and hot water all year round.
When heating the building, the heat pump uses energy collected from the so-called lower source. It is thermal energy received from the ground, air or water, even at very low temperatures. Through a thermodynamic process taking place in the heat pump, this energy is then released into the building at a higher temperature. By reversing this process, we can receive heat from the building in the summer and return it to the ground source. Thanks to this, devices such as heat pumps can be used for both heating and cooling. The driving force in the process of transporting this energy is the heat pump compressor, which is powered by electricity
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Heat pump – types
There are three types of home heating devices available on the market: air heat pump, water heat pump and ground heat pump. Above all, they enable the efficient use of renewable energy. They are divided according to the source from which the heat is obtained. A properly selected heat pump allows for efficient heating of the building.
A thorough heat pump
A ground source heat pump is most often used in new buildings. In this type of pumps, the heat source is, as the name suggests, the ground. This type of heat pump allows you to supply heat to the heating circuit and the home hot water tank. This type of pump is highly efficient and can become the only source of heating for your home.
Water heat pump
Just like a basic heat pump, a water pump is also characterized by high efficiency. Its source is warm flowing water. It can also be the only source of heating for your home. However, its disadvantage is quite high investment costs. When choosing this type of heat pump, you should be prepared for the external heat source to be electricity, oil or gas.
Air heat pump
An air heat pump will not only economically and effectively heat the house and provide residents with hot water, but also, if necessary - in combination with surface heating or fan coil units - it will cool the rooms in the summer.
If the heat pump is also intended to cool the building, the required power for cooling the rooms must be taken into account, which is often higher than for heating. However, cooling is generally not required in all rooms, and there is often no need to use a higher power unit. Only a fan coil system operating all year round can be successfully used in the building. However, the most frequently used solution is to combine an underfloor heating system with fan coil units. This solution ensures an efficient and cost-effective system.
Heat pump installation
When choosing a heat pump, many people wonder whether it is possible to install the heat pump themselves. Taking into account both the specialist knowledge needed for this type of activities and safety, we advise against installing a heat pump yourself in single-family homes. In such a case, it is definitely better to seek the help of a professional.
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When planning the thermal modernization of a house, it is also worth considering replacing traditional natural (gravity) ventilation with a mechanical supply and exhaust ventilation system with heat recovery. This solution will additionally reduce the costs of heating the building and will operate all year round in a manner tailored to the needs of residents.
Changing the type of ventilation is important primarily because constant air exchange in the house has a significant impact on the health and well-being of residents. Also because the air handling unit is equipped with filters that capture outdoor air pollutants.
The recoVAIR VAR residential ventilation system prevents dust and pollen from entering the house, while removing carbon dioxide and moisture outside.
The exhaust air flows through an exchanger, where the heat contained in it is transferred to the incoming, external air, without the two air streams mixing with each other. Outside air heated in this way flows into living rooms and bedrooms.
By thermally modernizing the house and replacing the heating and ventilation installations, we not only reduce its operating costs but also increase the comfort of living there and everyday stay for us and our loved ones.
Vaillant air heat pumps
The Vaillant brand , a leading manufacturer of heating and ventilation systems, offers many models of air heat pumps of various power. These devices collect energy accumulated in the air thanks to the external unit installed next to our building. These pumps differ in the size of the external unit, power, appearance and a very important parameter, which is the acoustic power level. The outdoor unit is equipped with a fan, which may be noisy and therefore bothersome during operation. Vaillant offers heat pumps with a noise level of 28dB(A) at a distance of 3 meters, which can be compared to the noise of a ticking watch! Vaillant heat pumps are among the quietest heat pumps on the market.
Monoblock and split air pumps - differences
The main difference is the construction of the external unit. In monoblock pumps, all elements of the refrigeration system are located in the external unit, which is hermetically closed at the manufacturer's factory and does not require the intervention of the installer. These devices are quick to install. The latest monoblock heat pumps can also operate with a higher power supply parameter, which may be important in the event of modernization.
aroTHERM split air heat pumps about with varying power from 3.6 to almost 12 kW, they will work very well in both small and large houses. They are very effective even when the air temperature drops to -20°C.
aroTHERM split consists of two units connected to each other. The outdoor unit can be installed against the wall of the house or on the ground near the house. Thanks to the indoor unit (heating center) - uniTOWER, which takes up only as much space as a refrigerator, we will save space and valuable living space. uniTOWER is an integrated hot water tank for storing hot water that is sufficient for the daily needs of a family of four.
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Both aroTHERM split and aroTHERM plus pumps are among the quietest devices on the market, so they are almost inaudible to residents during operation.
The aroTHERM plus heat pump , a monoblock air/water pump, is exceptionally ecological, quiet and at the same time energy-efficient. The natural refrigerant in the pump, called R290, is neutral to the environment and at the same time perfectly maintains power and efficiency even at very low temperatures. In combination with the uniTOWER plus heating center, the aroTHERM plus heat pump provides great convenience in using hot water - long showers and the use of a rain shower. Efficiency of 5.4 and energy efficiency class A+++ reduces the energy consumption of the external unit by more than 10% compared to other solutions.
Both the indoor and outdoor units have extremely small dimensions - especially in comparison to an oil boiler with a fuel tank. The indoor unit is the size of a refrigerator and takes up little valuable space.
aroTERM plus is the perfect choice for modernization projects. The high supply temperature allows you to replace gas and oil heating systems with the aroTHERM plus heat pump.
In addition, the heat pump has a built-in cooling function, which makes an additional air conditioning installation unnecessary.
Vaillant heat pumps are among the quietest on the market. The Sound Safe system protects you and your neighbors from noise. At a distance of 3 meters, the sound of the outdoor unit's operation is comparable to the rustling of leaves, so it can be installed even in dense terraced buildings.
Replacing an old solid fuel boiler with a modern Vaillant air heat pump means for residents not only lower expenses on maintaining a comfortable temperature in the house all year round and preparing the appropriate amount of hot water. This pump is also practically maintenance-free, and its operation is controlled by a modern system weather controller, the settings of which can also be changed when we are away from home.
Even greater savings can be achieved by producing your own electricity from a photovoltaic installation. Installation of the installation takes only a few days and does not require significant work
Vaillant offers a modern auroPOWER photovoltaic system in its portfolio. By powering your heat pump and other home appliances with your own electricity, you can significantly reduce your electricity bills.