Heat Pump FAQs
Frequently asked questions on features and benefits of Heat Pumps. Includes questions and answers on sizing, underfloor, radiators, electricity usage, heating, remote control and more.
How do Heat Pumps work?
They use the same principle as your fridge, compressing gas and then allowing it to expand, extracting heat as it does so. Even if the air outside is freezing heat pumps can extract heat energy and transfer it inside to keep you warm.
How can I benefit from investing in a heat pump system?
• Reduce your heating bills by improving your energy efficiency.
• Increase your home comfort levels.
• No need to burn fossil fuels at home
• Support the environment by reducing your greenhouse gas emissions.
Are Heat Pumps Environmentally Friendly?
Yes they are provided that the house is well insulated, and the system works well.
Is Heat Pump technology classified as Renewable Energy?
Yes, heat pumps are officially classed as providers of renewable energy by the EU and the International Energy Agency. Using a heat pump will therefore be an easy way usually of complying with your needs for renewables in a new build for Part L regulations.
What size Heat Pump will I need for my home?
Every home is different. The key to selecting the right heat pump for your home is accurate assessment of the heat that will need to be transferred into your home for heating. This needs to be carried out by experienced and qualified specialists.
What factors will affect the size of Heat Pump I need?
The amount of heating needed will depend on the potential for heat loss through walls, windows and roofs. To minimise this loss, good insulation is recommended. By insulating first, the size of heat pump selected will be generally smaller and therefore cheaper to run. The location of the home is also an important factor as south facing rooms are generally warmer and require less heating.
Can I use radiators with a Heat Pump?
Yes. The radiator supply temperature is linked to the weather and left running for longer periods, so they will not need to be as hot as with gas or oil where they are turned on in ‘bursts’ of heat. You may also oversize the radiators by 35% or so to take advantage of lower operating temperatures.
To convert from oil/gas to a heat pump – do we have to change our radiators?
Most of the time no, as in our experience most radiator systems are oversized in the first place. In retro-fit situations, where fitting a heat pump to an existing traditional system, you usually find that the existing radiators will work as they are now run constantly or for longer periods at a low temperature governed to change with the weather. Much smarter than simply running the same temperature on a time-clock every day.
Will I use a lot of electricity?
You will use more electricity, as you are using it to heat your home. However, you will not have an oil or gas bill, so you pay less overall. Coefficient of performance, COP is up to 5.1 on our Stanley heat pumps. COP is calculated by dividing the annual heating demand by the annual energy consumed. So, for every kilowatt of energy used to run a Stanley Heat Pump, up to 5kW of energy is being given to the heating system in return.
Will all my domestic hot water be taken care of by the heat pump?
Yes. All the hot water you need is provided by the Heat Pump. We provide internal units with 200 litre tank and 50 litre buffer tank. For homes with existing cylinders, we can provide a 50 litre internal buffer tank unit. However with retrofit the cylinder may need to be replaced.
Where do I put the Heat Pump system?
The internal unit can be installed inside the house in the utility room. Our heat pumps are quiet enough to allow this. This saves on both installation and also running costs. Your external unit is located outside not too far from the internal unit. The heat pump is always going to be more cost effective to run if placed near where it and or the hot water is used.
Can I remotely control and read our heat pumps settings?
Yes. Smart remote access to your heating system lets you control settings and temperature via website and optional controllers. You can also download an app to your phone or tablet.
Access to data and managing your heating system from your own home, workplace or holiday vacation with our Stanley App.
What's the payback time of a heat pump?
A heat pump that is retrofitted into an existing house or building can save large amounts of money over many years. It is not uncommon for the payback time to be as little as four or five years, that is dependent on the cost of the fuel you are currently using. The annual running cost plus the cost of financing the work usually come to less than the annual purchase cost of oil or LPG gas, so the benefits are immediately felt.
How much of our electric bill is our hot water?
Hot water is the smaller part of the energy bill compared to space heating usually. An average home uses around 5,000 to 8,000 kW Hours for domestic hot water. Remember if you locate the hot water tank remotely in a garage or have a very large house and need to circulate the hot water you will use more energy. Try and keep it central to points of use.
Do I need Three Phase electricity for my home?
No. Our Stanley heat pumps are single phase designed for the Irish climate that can provide coverage up to around 400Sq. M of floor area. Larger buildings will usually need a three phase supply or else several heat pumps.
What are the service requirements for a heat pump?
A heat pump itself, like a fridge usually needs very little servicing as such, but the overall system should be checked by the installer or manufacturers personnel annually.
Is there a grant available if I upgrade my existing heat system to a Heat Pump?
SEAI currently offer a grant of an Air to Water Heat Pump Grant of €3,500 (apartment) and €6,500 (Semi-Detached/End of Terrace/ Detached/Mid Terrace) towards the cost of installing a heat pump system in homes built before 2011.
To find out more, or to check your eligibility, visit:
https://www.seai.ie/grants/home-energy-grants/heat-pump-systems/
What are the dimensions of the Internal and External Units?
If unclear please see our Heat Pump Brochure
Can I install a heat pump into an existing home?
Yes, heat pumps can be installed to an existing house. Before any installation, a full home survey should be carried out by a trained assessor to ensure the suitability of the house and to identify any additional required insulation measures.
For a heat pump to work at its most efficient, your home needs to be well insulated to prevent as much heat from escaping as possible. For that reason, installation is often done in combination with a fabric retrofit to improve the building’s energy performance.
Every home is different. The key to selecting the right heat pump for your home is accurate assessment of the heat that will need to be transferred into your home for heating. This needs to be carried out by experienced and qualified specialists.
SEAI also offer insulation grants to facilitate this. There are also deep retrofit programmes available which help homeowners make the most cost-effective choices to achieve an ‘A’ energy efficiency rating standard.
Where does the Heat Pump need to be installed?
The internal unit can be installed inside the house in the utility room or hot press, replacing the existing hot water tank. Heat pumps are quiet enough to allow this. This saves on both installation and running costs.
The external unit or Air to Water Heat Pump is located outside the house not too far from the internal unit. The heat pump is always going to be more cost effective to run if placed near where it and or the hot water is used. If possible, place the heat pump inside the house in the utility room. This saves on both installation and running costs.
Will my electricity bill be more expensive?
Yes, if you currently use non-electric heating, you will have a bigger electricity bill, but no oil or gas bill. This is because the heat pump uses electrical power to gather free heat energy from the source, but your overall expenditure on energy will be considerably less.
Gas Boilers will have an efficiency of up to 97% and Oil Boilers up to 95% however the efficiency of a heat pump can be above 400%.
Can Stanley give me a quote to replace my oil/gas heating system with a Heat Pump?
Yes, However before any quote or installation, a full home survey should be carried out by a trained assessor to ensure the suitability of the house and to identify any additional required insulation measures.
If you wish to avail of the SEAI grant and gain an understanding of the measures, you will require the services of an SEAI Registered Technical Advisor. They will carry out a technical assessment of your home and will advise you on what steps you need to take to make your home heat pump ready.
https://www.seai.ie/grants/find-a-registeredprofessional/ SEAI-Registered-Technical-Advisors.pdf
When the technical advisor has completed their report, we would need to analyse the heat loss on a room-by-room basis and make sure the radiators and/or underfloor heating have the required output.
Once you have this, please submit the survey to Waterford Stanley sales@waterfordstanley.com and we can provide you with the following:
- Heat Loss calculations
- Underfloor Heating Design & Supply
- Pricing of Monobloc or Split Heat Pump, based on your heat output requirements
- On-site commissioning
Do I need to have Underfloor Heating or upgrade my radiators?
A heat pump will work more efficiently supplying heat to an under-floor heating system because of its lower operating temperature requirements, however Heat Pumps will also work with radiators.
To make the new system efficient you will likely need some new radiators that are larger than those there at present as they will need to be cooler than before.
Heat pumps are most efficient when they produce lower temperature heat, larger rads with lower temperature can give the same heat output as warmer smaller rads.
Market experience has shown that in most cases the radiators do not need to be changed, however, this can vary and needs to be looked at on a case by case basis.
Can I keep my existing hot water tank used in conjunction with a Heat Pump?
More than likely your existing hot water tank will not work with a heat pump as the coils contained in the hot water tank will not allow sufficient heat transfer within the tank.
How long does it take to install a heat pump system?
It can take three to eight days to install your air to water heat pump. Timing will depend on the complexity of the system and if you need to replace any radiators in your property.
Why Choose a Stanley Heat Pump?
Warming homes for over 80 years, Stanley believe that everyone should be able to enjoy the cosy benefits of a Stanley. With a proven record in heating Irish homes, we are looking to the future and renewable energy in the form of air to water heat pumps
Selected Features:
- Energy Class: A++
- Output to 60ºC (Monobloc)
- Monobloc or Split option available
- Heat Loss calculations
- Underfloor Heating Design
- On site commissioning
- Heat pump certification
- Designer sign-off certification
- SEAI Grant Support
- Remote Diagnostic support
- 7 Year Guarantee
- Built In web module to control heat on the go
Do Waterford Stanley offer Underfloor Heating?
As well as supplying our range of Stanley Air to Water Heat Pumps, we offer an
extensive design and support service. Heat loss calculations, heat pump certification, underfloor heating design and designer sign-off certification are all part of our service, to ensure that our product meets the building regulations requirements.
Our underfloor heating comprises top of the range components including Danfoss manifolds and actuators, Heatmiser Thermostats & Wiring Centres and more
