How does a heat pump work?

A heat pump works on the principle of a refrigerator, only in reverse. While a refrigerator removes heat from its interior to keep food cool, a heat pump takes heat from an external source (such as the air, ground or groundwater) and brings it into your home to heat it.

Here are the steps on how
a heat pump works

• Heat absorption
  The heat pump uses a refrigerant that vaporises even at low temperatures. This refrigerant circulates in a closed circuit and absorbs the ambient heat through a heat exchanger. The refrigerant vaporises in the process.
  
• Compression
  The resulting vapour is then compressed by a compressor. This compression increases the temperature of the vapour considerably.
  
• Heat release
  The hot vapour is now fed to the heating system of your home in a second heat exchanger (condenser). Here, the refrigerant releases its heat, which is then used to heat the building or the hot water. When it cools down, the refrigerant condenses and becomes liquid again.
  
• Expansion
  Finally, the refrigerant is channelled through an expansion valve, which reduces the pressure and cools the refrigerant. Now the cycle can begin again.

The advantage of the heat pump

The advantage of the heat pump is that it supplies considerably more energy in the form of heat than it requires in the form of electrical energy to operate the compressor. This makes it an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly solution for heating your home.