Exhaust-air heat pump replaces electric heating
NIBE’s exhaust-air heat-pump system installed in a house that was previous reliant on an immersion heater and storage heaters has reduced the total electricity bill by nearly 40% to £950 a year. The house is occupied by a couple and two children and is one of four upgraded by Keepmoat for Wakefield & District Housing.
The NIBE system recovers warm, stale air from wet rooms, such as the kitchen and bathroom, and ducts it back to the heat pump. When the heat pump has recovered energy from the exhaust air, the cooled air is released outside. Fresh air is drawn into the building via external wall vents to provide the required air changes — especially for this home, with its increased insulation levels.
Daniel Gartside (pictured), who lives in the property with his wife and two children, says, ‘Our NIBE exhaust-air heat pump can just be left to its own devices. The system is excellent, completely self contained and hassle free. We have also noted an improvement in air quality. The heat pump keeps the house very well ventilated, so we have had no issues with damp — even when drying clothes indoors.’
Adam Pearson, technical services manager with NIBE, says, ‘Research carried out on ventilation strategies at the Wakefield showed the exhaust-air heat pump to be the best option for air quality (measured by CO2 concentration and relative humidity) compared to more traditional extraction methods and a basic mechanical-ventilation heat-recovery unit.’
