It all starts with thermal energy (heat) that’s naturally in the air. Even when it feels cold, there’s still plenty of heat there that can be used.
Heat pumps take this heat and raise its temperature before transferring the heat to your central heating system. This is a four-step process:
- A liquid chemical (similar to what your fridge uses) takes heat from the air.
- Liquid turns into a hot gas through compression.
- The hot gas releases its heat to your central heating, warming your home.
- The gas cools down, turning it back into a liquid, ready to start all over again.
This is known as a refrigeration cycle. In fact, you may hear that a heat pump works just like a refrigerator in reverse. That’s because it uses the same cycle but in the opposite direction.