With many homeowners paying more attention to their carbon footprint and energy consumption, hydronic systems are becoming the go-to systems for heating and cooling. Although many are interested in upgrading these systems, they worry about the process and cost.
Therefore, to set your minds at ease, this guide discusses how to retrofit an existing heating system with an air-to-water heat pump. It also reveals how much you can save by installing this modern system.
Overview of Hydronic Heating and Air-to-Water Heat Pumps
Hydronic heating involves heating water and transferring the heat produced through a pipe network in your home connected to fan coil units, baseboards, or radiant floor heating systems. Thanks to these components, the heat is evenly distributed throughout your home. Compared to other heating methods, hydronic heat pumps are more sustainable and energy efficient.
Air-to-water heat pumps utilize hydronic heating where they heat water and distribute it in a home’s central heating system. The heat pump gathers heat outside the house and pumps it indirectly into the house where it is stored in a buffer tank, then distributes it through underfloor heating or radiators.
How to Retrofit an Existing System
Given the benefits of an air-to-water heat pump, it’s only natural if you’re considering retrofitting your existing system to accommodate it. While the retrofit is not impossible, you may need the services of a professional to help you do the job.
One of the first things you should do is get an accurate value of your home’s heat loss. This is necessary as it helps them determine what components need replacing and the size of the heat pump that is needed. Arctic provides heat loss design services, free of charge to its customers.
The next step is to replace outdated parts with new ones. They will determine what components are incompatible with the air-to-water heat pump and essential system components, such as the hot water buffer tank, radiators, and controls. Generally, homes with radiant floor heating are the easiest to retrofit as the heat pump simply replaces the boiler.
If you want it or the installer recommends it, you might need larger radiators to increase the heat emitter surface area. This is usually recommended as older radiators require much higher water temperature than modern air to water heat pumps can deliver. So, to compensate for the lower water temperature, they need larger surface areas.
If you are planning to use radiant cooling, you may need to insulate the supply and return pipes so that they don’t condensate. Depending on the condition of your existing system, some other upgrades might also be necessary. Newer hydronic technologies such as outdoor reset require external thermostats.
Cost Analysis: Installation vs. Long-term Savings
Many have not adopted the cost effective method because they think it’s too expensive. Most air-to-water heat pump systems cost $6,000 to 12,000. The installation process for small systems costs $5000, while larger systems might cost up to $10,000.
Looking at this, one might be tempted to avoid getting these systems; however, that would be a mistake. These hydronic heating systems are renowned for their energy-saving ability, saving about 50% to 70% on energy costs. So, if you usually spend $6,000 yearly on heating and cooling, you could save $4,000 yearly. A system that cost upwards of $20,000 installed will have a payback of 5 year or earn you a return on investment of 20%. Much better than most investment can give you.
You can enjoy these savings for as long as 15 to 25 years since this is the average lifespan for these devices. Using the above annual energy consumption, if your system lasts 25 years, you will save $100,000. This does not account for the fact that the cost of energy is guaranteed to continue to rise!
You might not even spend so much on installation since the U.S. federal government and several state governments offer individuals who want to install heat pumps a 30% subsidy of the total cost.
Choosing the Right Heat Pump for Your Home
Now that you know the benefits of these systems and their cost-efficiency in the long run, you might wonder how to choose the right one for your home. Just follow the steps below:
- Determine Your Home’s Heating and Hot Water Requirements: What level of heating and amount of hot water does your home need? You can determine this by considering your property’s size, how many people live there, and its insulation level. Your ability to make a proper assessment will guide you in making the right choice. We can help you with our free heat pump sizing tool.
- Choose a Heat Pump with High COP: COP stands for coefficient of performance and measures how efficient your air-to-water heat pump is. Heat pumps with higher COP are more efficient than those with lower COP ratings. Arctic Heat Pump have the highest COP values in North America.
- Output Capacity is Important: You need a heat pump with an output capacity that matches the heating and hot water needs you assessed earlier. We can help you determine the right output capacity for your home’s needs.
- Choose a Low-Noise Level Heat Pump: The noise of some pumps can be straight-up annoying, even though they are placed outside. Except you don’t have an issue with the device making noise, getting a quiet heat pump like the Arctic Heat Pump is a necessity. Check the specifications of the device to find the noise levels.
- Choose a Heat Pump made for cold weather – Arctic is the leader in providing low ambient temperature, cold weather heat pumps the advanced EVI technology allows the heat pumps to run in temperatures as low as -30 C (-22 F)
Maintenance Tips for Optimal Performance
A hydronic heat pump system is meant to last for a long time. However, maintenance greatly affects how long it lasts and how efficiently it works. Below are some simple maintenance tips to keep your air-to-water heat pump functioning optimally:
- Install a hydronic magnetic strainer in the hydronic loop to remove any metals or debris that could plug the heat exchanger.
- Ensure the outdoor unit is clean and not blocked by leaves or other things. Clean the fins at least once a year similar to an AC.
- Always check the refrigerant levels and call a technician to top them up when necessary.
Conclusion
Upgrading your home with an air-to-water heat pump system is a wise financial and environmental move. If you are interested give us a call and we can guide you through the process and put you in touch with an Arctic Representative in your area.
