What are the types of heat pumps, including air source and ground source?

Heat pumps are highly efficient devices that transfer thermal energy between spaces using a refrigeration cycle. Different types use distinct heat sources and sinks, with air source and ground source models being the most prominent. They provide substantial energy savings compared to conventional boilers by moving heat rather than generating it.

What we know

• Air source heat pumps absorb energy from ambient outdoor air and release it at a higher temperature to heat a building. [2]
• Ground source heat pumps take advantage of the relative constancy of underground temperatures to provide heating and cooling. [5]
• Heat pump types include air source, ground source, water source, exhaust air, and absorption heat pumps. [3, 4]
• Air source heat pumps typically yield 3 to 4 times more thermal energy than the electric energy they consume. [2]

Where to go next

• how it workedHow does the vapor-compression refrigeration cycle work in heat pumps?
• a case in pointWhat are the setup costs and installation requirements for ground source heat pumps?
• compared withHow do absorption heat pumps differ by using thermal energy instead of electricity?
• what followedWhat is the role of heat pumps in climate change mitigation and phasing out gas boilers?
• the bigger pictureWhat is a heat pump?
• an unexpected connectionHow did political events in Europe accelerate heat pump adoption?Geopolitical shifts like the boycott of Russian natural gas directly drove millions of European households to adopt heat pumps to cut fossil fuel consumption.

Sources

• [1]air source heat pump (Wikidata Q2044954) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Air source heat pump · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Heat pump · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Absorption heat pump · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Ground source heat pump · CC BY-SA 4.0