Will my radiators work with an Air Source Heat Pump?

Posted by Andi

Radiator Upgrades

Over the years, one of the questions we have been asked the most when we install an Air Source Heat Pump is often “will my current radiators and wet system work with an air source Heat Pump?”. Unfortunately, this is not an easy question to answer as it depends on what radiators you have, the size of your rooms and the type of Air Source Heat Pump that you are having installed. However, in this article, we are going to do our best to outline some of the key points that we consider when advising our customers on their radiators and wet system.

Home Heating

Will my wet system work?

The definition of a wet system is a network of pipes that circulates hot water to your radiators and taps. The hot water then heats up your radiators which in turn warm the room that they inhabit. The water in a wet system is typically warmed by a boiler that uses fossil fuels such as gas, oil, liquid petroleum gas (LPG) or sometimes wood or other biomass products. In the systems we design, the water is heated up using a much more efficient Air Source Heat Pump instead of an unhealthy, expensive, fossil fuel boiler. As a rule of thumb, as long as your wet system is in good condition (no leaks or damage) it should be fine to use with an Air Source Heat Pump.

What about my radiators?

Like with your wet system, most radiators, providing they are of decent make, quality and condition will work great with an Air Source Heat Pump. Whether they are efficient enough to properly heat your home is another matter. This is because an Air Source Heat Pump will typically heat the water in your wet system to around 45-50°C as opposed to most boilers which heat water to around 60°C. This means that for a heat pump to provide you with a better level of comfort you may need larger radiators or underfloor heating so as to transfer a larger amount of heat into your home.

An Air Source Heat Pump will excel at keeping your home at a constant and comfortable temperature over a long period of time, as opposed to a boiler which will quickly dump an excess of heat into a room and then turn off until the room cools down. It is the ability to constantly run at an incredibly low energy level that makes Air Source Heat Pumps so energy efficient when it comes to heating your home and hot water.

When we design a system for our customers we will recommend if we think new radiators will be a requirement to heat your home to a comfortable level, replacing your radiators with us is a quick and easy job which is absolutely no challenge or trouble for our team. Get in touch with us today to see how we can design your bespoke, energy-efficient heating system.

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