The Ultimate Guide to Quiet and Efficient Heat Pumps for Modern Homes
As high energy bills continue to impact household budgets, finding efficient and cost-effective heating solutions has become more important than ever. One promising option is the heat pump, a technology that offers both high efficiency and low noise levels, making it an ideal choice for modern homes.
The Efficiency Advantage of Heat Pumps
Heat pumps stand out for their remarkable efficiency. They generate approximately 3.5kWh of heat for every 1kWh of electricity used, translating to an impressive 350% efficiency rate. This means you get significantly more heat output for each unit of electricity consumed compared to traditional heating methods.
Low Noise Heating Solutions
Noise is often a concern when it comes to heating systems. However, heat pumps are generally quieter than fossil fuel boilers. For instance, a ground source heat pump may operate at around 42 decibels, while an air source heat pump typically ranges between 40 and 60 decibels, depending on the manufacturer and installation quality. To put this into perspective, normal conversation is about 60 decibels, so these heat pumps are quite unobtrusive. Depending on manufacturer and installation, a ground source heat pump may reach 42 decibels, and an air source heat pump may reach 40 to 60 decibels.
"During the colder months, your heating can be on for long periods of the day, especially with working from home either part or full-time now being standard for many office-based workers. So making sure your main source of heat, whether that’s a heat pump or a boiler, isn’t going to disturb you when it comes on, can be essential," Poppy Szkiler, Quiet Mark CEO & Co-Founder.
Government Incentives for Heat Pumps and Future Mandates
In line with the government's commitment to reduce carbon emissions and enhance energy efficiency, developers will be required to install air or ground-source heat pumps in new homes starting from 2025. As a result, tens of thousands of heat pumps have already been installed across the UK. To meet our net zero targets, the UK Government expects that millions of heat pumps will need to be installed over the next 10-15 years.
To support this transition, the UK Government has introduced the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), providing £450 million in grant funding over three years from 2022 to 2025. This scheme aims to encourage homeowners in England and Wales to adopt low carbon heating systems like heat pumps.
Cost Considerations and Savings with Heat Pumps
While the initial cost of installing a heat pump can be substantial—ranging from £7,000 to £13,000 for an air source heat pump and up to £24,000 for a ground source unit—there are long-term savings to consider. According to the Energy Saving Trust, the average savings on fuel bills can help offset the installation costs, with an estimated annual saving of around £375 for a four-bedroom detached house in the UK.
Guide to the Quietest Heat Pumps
For those concerned about noise levels, there is a good selection of air source and ground source Quiet Mark certified heat pumps available to choose from. These products have been rigorously tested and rated for their low noise output, ensuring that homeowners can enjoy a peaceful environment. Leading manufacturers such as Daikin, Grant UK, Ideal Heating, LG Electronics, Samsung, Vaillant, Warmflow, and Worcester Bosch offer Quiet Mark certified models, providing a variety of options to suit different needs and preferences.
Ground Source Heat Pumps
Sometimes referred to as a ground-to-water heat pump, a ground source heat pump transfers heat from the ground outside to warm the inside of your home.
A mixture of water and antifreeze called thermal transfer fluid (TTF) flows around pipes buried in your outdoor space. Heat from the soil is absorbed into the fluid and passes through a heat exchanger, which extracts the heat of the fluid and transfers it to your radiators, underfloor heating system or hot water cylinder for your hot taps and showers.
According to the Energy Saving Trust, benefits of owning a ground source heat pump include cutting the cost of your fuel bills, reducing your home's carbon footprint and being able to heat your home as well as your water.
Vaillant flexoTHERM Ground Source Heat Pump
Vaillant UK has recently achieved silver membership status with the Supply Chain Sustainability School for demonstrating an ongoing commitment to sustainability. The Quiet Mark certified flexoTHERM for example, is Vaillant's first heat pump that has flexibility when choosing a renewable source. flexoTHERM with Green iQ offers a modern, refreshing take on the heat pump system that can use three possible heat sources. flexoTHERM is a ground source heat pump, when connected to a group loop, that can be converted to an air source heat pump when connected to aroCOLLECT, or a water source heat pump when connected with fluoCOLLECT.
The flexoTHERM 400V heat pump model is available in Quiet Mark certified 5kW, 8kW and 15kW outputs, which can be converted to ground, water or air source. flexoTHERM also offers state of the art EVI compressor technology giving extremely high efficiency and heating performance.
flexoTHERM has been awarded the Quiet Mark thanks to its exceptionally low operating noise levels. It sounds no louder than a standard domestic fridge.
Air Source Heat Pumps
If you don’t have space for a ground source heat pump or don’t want your garden dug up for it to be installed, then an air source model will probably be a good option to consider. These come in two forms, ‘monobloc’ and ‘split’, again, good advice is key to ensure you get the right one installed in your house.
Monobloc units are currently the most common in the UK and come in one single outdoor unit that is connected to the property's heating system which can be controlled by an indoor control panel or thermostat.
In comparison, split heat pumps have outside units as well as internal units that require more complex installations. They do however, come with the benefit of being smaller and quieter.
When it comes to installing an air source heat pump, considerably more planning must go into the preparation compared to the installation of a conventional boiler replacement.
Daikin Altherma 3 H HT Heat Pump
The Daikin Altherma 3 H HT heat pump is an investment in comfort and energy savings. Winner of both the iF Design Award and the RedDot Design Award in 2019, the Altherma 3 H HT is an air-to-water heat pump that delivers heating, cooling and instant hot water—and uses less energy to do it. This system is ideal for homeowners who want to upgrade their boiler or traditional heating system to a greener and more cost-effective solution.
The new Daikin Altherma 3 H HT E-Series is designed to perform reliably, whatever the weather. This single fan outdoor unit achieves some of the highest efficiencies and lowest sound levels in the market. The sleek design makes it an aesthetically pleasing solution for all settings.
The Altherma H HT E-Series is a heat pump system designed for the renovation market. Available with both an integrated water tank and wall mounted indoor options, it delivers excellent performance and provides leaving water temperatures of up to 70°C. Environmentally friendly, the system uses R32 refrigerant, with GWP (Global Warming Potential) of just 675.
Grant Aerona³ R32 Air Source Heat Pump
The Aerona³ R32 inverter driven air source heat pump range is Grant’s cleanest and most efficient heat pump range yet and was announced as Heat Pump Product of the Year at this year's National ACR & Heat Pump Awards. It is the first monobloc R32 ASHP to be launched in the UK, Grant’s Aerona³ R32 heat pumps use the more environmentally friendly R32 refrigerant which has a significantly lower GWP value.
All of Grant’s R32 heat pumps have exceptional SCOPs, with the 13kW model HPID13R32 achieving a SCOP of 5.41 at 35°C and the 17kW model HPID17R32 achieving a SCOP of 4.54 at 35°C. MCS approved, Grant’s R32 heat pumps operate with incredibly high efficiencies while also being notably quiet.
Cleverly designed with the key components located to the front of the models allowing for easy access for installation and maintenance, Grant’s heat pumps are straightforward to work with while also being easy to control for householders.
Ideal Logic Air 4kW Heat Pump
The Logic Air heat pump range is Ideal Heating’s new range of monobloc heat pumps, designed to deliver efficient, simple and reliable low carbon heating in homes throughout the UK.
The Logic Air 4kW heat pump integrates seamlessly with UK homes, partnered with Ideal Heating’s best in class pre-plumbed hot water cylinder and connected Halo Air room thermostat, the Logic Air is quick to install, simple to commission and easy to use.
LG Therma V R32 Monobloc S Heat Pump
The THERMA V R32 Monobloc S is the 2nd generation of LG's R32 Monobloc series. As implied by “silence” and “supreme," it boasts reduced noise level and best performance in the THERMA V Series. Combining the indoor and outdoor as one module, it's also connected by only water piping eliminating the need for refrigerant piping. Furthermore, hydronic components like the plate heat exchanger, expansion tank, water pump, flow sensor, pressure sensor, air vent valves, and safety valve are conveniently situated inside the unit. The R32 Monobloc S provides excellent heating performance, especially at low ambient temperature while lowering its carbon emissions with R32.
Samsung EHS Mono HT Quiet Heat Pump
The Samsung EHS Mono HT Quiet is a high temperature, low noise heat pump ideal for Europe’s residential renovation market. A durable and stylishly designed heating solution, this heat pump combines advanced features and new technologies to achieve hot water temperatures of up to 70 °C whilst operating at very low noise levels. Additionally, this heat pump is capable of reliably providing 100% heating performance even in extremely cold weather (temperatures as low as -25°C).
Vaillant aroTHERM Plus Air Source Heat Pump
Vaillant’s aroTHERM plus is one of the greenest heat pumps available on the market and is designed to exceed the heating requirements of today. Last year, the aroTHERM won Best Heat Pump at the GREEN Home Awards and Heat Pump Product of the Year at the National ACR & Heat Pump Awards. It uses a natural refrigerant which has an exceptionally low global warming potential of just 3.
The Quiet Mark awarded aroTHERM plus heat pump range is available in 3.5kW, 5kW, 7kW and 12kW outputs, making it suitable for most domestic properties and can be cascaded for commercial use.
Without compromising on performance, the aroTHERM plus can provide up to 25% more usable hot water and can reach flow temperatures up to 75°C, removing the need for an electric immersion heater for legionella protection.
Warmflow Zeno Air Source Heat Pumps
For over 50 years, Warmflow has been creating innovative, award winning heating products for homes across the UK & Ireland. From the outset of designing the Warmflow Zeno heat pump it was conceived to be one of the most efficient appliances in its class. Unlike most other heat pumps which produce heat at a fixed output, this heat pump makes use of the latest variable speed compressor technology to produce heat at the rate you need. This gives the heat pump a wide output range and it automatically modulates within this range depending on your heat demands. For ease of installation, the pump and flow switch are conveniently housed within the heat pump casing. This speeds up installation and minimises wiring and plumbing needed on site.
The unit also has an inbuilt monitoring system, which monitors flow temperature and system temperatures for easy commissioning. A dedicated wiring centre greatly simplifies connection to external wiring and sensors making this heat pump very easy to install and service. Independent tests have shown its efficiency to be up to 555% at A7W35. This means that for every 1kW of electricity consumed 5.55kW of heat is produced.
Worcester Bosch Compress 7400iAW Air Source Heat Pump
Suitable for renovation (building dependent) and new build projects, the Worcester Bosch 74001iAW air to water heat pump utilises high efficiency, low-carbon technology to deliver all the benefits of using ambient air as the primary energy source for space heating and hot water.
Worcester Bosch's quietest outdoor unit with ultra low-noise operation enhanced by an addition diffuser. Its monobloc design houses all refrigeration circuit components, including the inverter, filter and circuit boards, keeping maintenance low.Pre-configured AWE indoor unit for quick and easy installation with a built in multi- functional back up electric booster for heating and hot water. Optional Green Storage WB heat pump range cylinders from 150 to 300 litres provide solutions for even the most demanding lifestyles.
Worcester Bosch recently relaunched the Environment Awards with new sustainability criteria for installers. The aim of the Environment 2050 Awards is to recognise the professionals in the heating industry who act sustainably and make informed choices when it comes to upgrading or creating a new installation of heating appliances.
