With electricity prices on the rise and climate change
breathing down our necks, it is increasingly popular to
make the move away from traditional hot water systems to
the latest technology, saving you money and benefiting the
environment.
In the past five to ten years the heat pump water heater
has become the new kid on the block and is fast becoming
a popular option, as the heating method of the 21st
century. Heat pump water heaters are amazingly effective,
being up to seven times more energy efficient than gas and
three-and-a-half times more efficient than electric water
heaters.
This is achieved by not creating heat, and instead
moving heat from one place to another. If you’re still
wondering what this crazy magic is let’s look at the basic
process.
1. External air is drawn into the heat pump system
into an evaporator by a fan. The evaporator contains a
special refrigerant in the piping called R134a, which is not
harmful to the ozone layer.
2. Uniquely, R134a refrigerant has a boiling point of
-26°C compared to water with a boiling point of 100°C.
So cooler temperatures are still warm enough for the
refrigerant to ‘boil’. The air sucked into the system is
warmer than the refrigerant turning it into a gas inside the
heat pumps pipes.
3. A compressor then pumps the now gas
refrigerant through a small valve which compresses it and
as result of the process creates a great deal of heat.
4. A heat exchanger then transfers the heat from the
refrigerant pipes to the tank where the water is stored.
As the heat is drawn away from the pipes the refrigerant
returns to its lower temperature and liquid state and then
the whole process begins again.
Read more about Heat Pump systems and the new Rheem Ambiheat HDC-270
in the latest edition of Be Inspired.
