To whom can we recommend heat pump systems?

1. To save money produce heating water at the lowest possible temperatures.
2. Install low-temperature heat distribution systems like wall, ceiling or floor heating systems as well as fan-coils.
3. To save money install heat pump equipped with controller that regulates the flow temperature according to the outside temperature.
4. The system design shall include both heating and cooling if possible. Heat pumps operate more economically both in heating and cooling modes than gas boilers or air-conditioners.
5. Take care of high quality thermal insulation, doors and windows for your house. This way you can save on investment and operation costs.
6. Compare possible heat pump systems (boreholes, water wells or air) and make a well-funded decision.
7. When making any decision, please, take into consideration the environmental aspects and interests of the new generations.

First of all we want to underline that our company philosophy does not allow us to sell units at any price. This of course reduces our revenues in short time period but we do want to install heat pumps and solar collectors only in houses where they are really suited. Why? Because we follow the operation of our systems and we are glad to meet satisfied owners who can with pleasure recommend us to other potential buyers. Shortly saying, we are satisfied if our buyers are satisfied with their systems that fulfill their previous requirements.

According to our experience many people inquire about heat pump systems in absolutely unreal cases for installation. For example, how to install a geothermal heat pump system in a flat which is on the 5 floor of a big block-house? Or, in a 30-sqm wine-press house? And so on.

For this reason we think it is useful to lay down the following aspects. We apologize to those readers who are familiar with them.

1. Heat pumps are developed to produce low-temperature heating water - generally up to 45-46 °C but maximum up to 50 °C at the lowest possible outside temperatures. At higher water temperatures the coefficient of performance of the system falls down quickly and this will be noticed by the owner when looking at the bill for electricity.
2. The heat distribution systems must be designed accordingly. A general rule that low-temperature system must be chosen such as wall, ceiling or floor heating systems as well as fan-coils. All they are suitable for cooling, too. Of course, in certain cases traditional radiators are also suitable if their heating surfaces are big enough. However these cases are exceptions only when using traditional heat pumps equipped with non-EVI compressors. Heat pumps with EVI compressors can effectively produce heating water with temperatures up to 65 °C.
3. It is highly recommended to use heat pump controllers that can regulate the output water temperature according to the outside temperature. For instance, at the outside temperature of +5 °C there is no need to produce heating water with temperature 45 °C. A small extra investment cost will seriously reduce your operational costs.
4. Operation of a heat pump system will reduce your operational costs both in heating and cooling modes since majority of the heating energy is taken from the soil or pumped back into it. It is clear that savings occur when the heat pump runs, hence it is recommended to install systems that can be used not for heating only but in cooling mode, too. Such buildings houses are that need heating and active cooling in summer time or indoor swimming pools that generally must be heated all over the year.
5. To achieve reasonable investment and operational costs it is necessary to solve the thermal insulation problem of the house and to build in high quality doors and windows. So, if you are thinking about modernization of your heating system, first you should modernize the thermal insulation, doors and windows before installing any heat pump system.
6. Geothermal heat pump systems are suited to houses with lands of sufficient dimensions for borehole systems. According to our experience, reasonable drilling costs can be achieved in case if the drilling of a 100-meter-deep borehole, installation of the U-tube and filling up of the bore hole with bentonite mass can be done in 1 or maximum 1.5 days.
7. So called open systems (for example based on water wells) are recommended only in cases when the necessary permission can be obtained and a stable water flow of 1-5 cubic meters (depending on capacity of the heat pump system) can be assumed for a long period of time. Chemical neutrality of the water is a very important condition, too. The last important problem is what to do with the pumped out water? For this you have to have additional water wells (at least one but desirably two) to return water into soil. If this problem is not solved correctly, your land will become a swamp soon.
8. In our opinion air-to-water heat pumps can be recommended for installation a.) in houses with very low heat loss thanks to its excellent thermal insulation; b.) in houses with small lands, not sufficient to install a borehole system; c.) in houses, like holiday homes or summer cottages, that are used seasonally and are frost protected in winter time; d.) in houses with complementary heating systems; e.) in small houses where the costs of a borehole system are disproportionately high in comparison with an air-to-water system and these extra costs will never recover.
9. Some of our customers inform us that one of the main reasons of choosing heat pumps as the heat generator of their houses is the fact that now they can afford it. But they know that some years or decades later they would not be able to pay for the very expensive natural gas if they want to stay in the same house.
10. Finally, heat pumps systems suit to investors who feel responsibility for the environmental protection. Unfortunately this aspect is the final one in Hungary when an investor evaluates his possibilities. But we hope this point can move to the first place soon thanks to you cooperation with us.