The main heat pumps are air-air heat pumps, air-water heat pumps, and geothermal heat pumps, but other systems are popular such as ground-water, water-water, or brine-water heat pumps.
There are, therefore, several types of heat pumps. In the case of the geothermal heat pump, the heat is drawn from the ground or underground water. The installation is quite complicated since sensors are buried in the ground using construction equipment. The operation of the hydrothermal heat pump generates quite heavy work and requires a relatively large area: the heat is exclusively drawn from the water of the underground aquifers.
The aerothermal heat pump system is more straightforward since the heat is drawn from the air. This heat pump can be installed inside or outside and requires little space. For each system, a feasibility study makes it possible to know the different constraints and to assess the amount of equipment installation work.
Advantages Of Heat Pumps
The strengths of heat pumps lie on the one hand in their ability to transform renewable energy into heat or, on the contrary, into air conditioning and, on the other hand, in their respect for the environment. Each solution has its advantages and disadvantages.
The aerothermal heat pump is simple to install and can be coupled to a boiler or an auxiliary heater to reduce total consumption without minimizing comfort. In cold regions and generally, when temperatures are negative, the heat pump must be backed up by another heating system.
To overcome this problem, some manufacturers have invented heat pumps with integrated auxiliary heating with automatic activation. Another downside: the cheapest models are often noisy. The innovative aerothermal heat pump can be reversible also to provide air conditioning in summer.
The air-water heat pump heats water from a boiler, a domestic hot water tank, etc. It is generally compatible with central heating elements (radiator, heated floor) and can cool the air in a room. It can be used even in small spaces. The top-rated models are fully autonomous.
Geothermal heat pumps are compatible with heated floors and low-temperature radiators. It is sufficiently autonomous to operate on its own, without a secondary system and can guarantee the production of domestic hot water or the cooling of the ambient air.
