The floor in a modern underfloor heating system does not feel warm to the touch. Radiators typically need water much hotter than a modern low temperature under floor heating system which, because of the large amount of pipes used, can use much cooler water. Installation costs also are of course much more for a buried geothermal system when compared with a simple air pump next to your property.īoth forms of pompe a chaleur heating described above - air heating and geothermal heating - will be more effective with an underfloor heating system than with radiators, because there is a limit to how warm they can heat the water in the central heating system. ![]() The primary disadvantage is that you need quite a large area of terrain next to your house that you don't mind being bulldozed - which may be complicated if you have a garden! The temperature in the ground is much more consistent - and higher in winter - than the temperature in the air. This system therefore has many of the advantages of the air-based system described above, while avoiding most of the disadvantages. As above, your main cost (installation aside) will be the electricity to operate the system. The pipes then 'gather the energy' from the soil, and the heat pump converts it into heating for your home. Using the same general principles as above, but geothermal heating pumps a liquid - usually a special liquid rather than simple water - through pipes buried a metre or so deep in the ground around the building. In some countries of northern Europe it is said that more than 90% of new-build houses have some form of pompe a chaleur system fitted. This system of heating is popular in several European countries, notably Germany, France and Sweden. If the system is used to heat air in the property, rather than the water in a central heating system, a method for enabling the warm air to circulate around the building will also be needed. There are no CO2 or other emissions or polluants, except those generated to create the electricity that drives the pump (often nuclear in France).īecause this system becomes limited at low temperatures (below about 5 c) it is necessary to have an alternative system in place as well. Not too bad, but not entirely sufficient for a larger or poorly insulated house, especially when we remember that efficiency falls with the temperature of the air outside. Models on the market at the moment can typically produce up to about 20kw of heat. Still, not too bad, albeit some way from the 'theoretical maximum' of 15. That is, one unit of electricity produces 3-4 units of heat. The ratio between the electricity consumed and the heat produced is called the 'coefficient of performance' - clearly we would like this to be as high as possible, but in practice it is usually 3-4. The other downside is that the PAC requires electricity to operate it. And below a certain temperature it becomes more or less impossible. Although all air contains energy, the colder the air is the harder it becomes to extract the energy. That sounds ideal don't you think? Well, there are limitations. The PAC system can be linked to your existing central heating system to provide the hot water to heat your home, or can be used to heat air which is passed around your home. ![]() The version of the pompe a chaleur - from now on referred to as a PAC - that uses the energy ever present in the soil is commonly called a geothermal system (discussed separately below). The pompe a chaleur (heat pump) is a system that extracts the energy in the air or soil and uses it to heat your home. In this post I talk about pompes a chaleur - heat pumps. There are now several more environmentally friendly alternatives for heating a property, which may also be cheaper, though until now I've been unconvinced. Better late than never, and it might just help reduce the cost of fuel / oil next year - which I'd guess won't be any less than it is now. Given that summer is here at last.I thought I'd take a look at the best ways of heating your house in France. Pompe a chaleur - reduce your heating bills, at what cost?
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