Renewables 101: What Are Heat Pumps?

In simple terms, a heat pump manipulates the natural flow of heat (which always moves from a hotter object to a colder one) by creating a temperature difference.

Although you might see a heat pump in many forms—be it a refrigerator, an air conditioner, or a chiller—they all work on the same fundamental principle: moving heat from one location to another. Or, in other words, moving heat from the “hotter thing” to the “cooler thing”. 

For example, in a refrigerator, a cold plate is maintained inside the unit while a hot plate is maintained outside, allowing heat from your food to be transferred out.

In an air source heat pump, the outdoor air is the source.

In winter, the system extracts heat from the cold outdoor air and transfers it inside:

In summer it reverses the process to provide cooling for the space:

If you’re interested in understanding whether you can and should implement a heat pump for your building project, feel free to book a demo with our CEO John Rathbone here.