Heat pump or air conditioner?

Heat pump or air conditioner? This is the daily topic of conversation when we visit potential customers to prepare a quote. People do not know whether their home is suitable for a heat pump at all, or dread the high purchase costs and structural alterations.

The current generation of heat pumps is only suitable for well-insulated homes. Homes built before 2020 are already less well insulated. This means that in older homes a heat pump can only be installed after major alterations.

Good insulation and underfloor heating are necessary for a properly functioning heat pump.

Heating with an air conditioner is a good alternative. Less comfortable than the heat pump, but much cheaper. Also in use.

The weak point of the current generation of heat pumps lies in keeping the hot water warm. A buffer tank of at least 90 litres has to be kept hot all day. Making it bacteria-free is still done with old-fashioned electric heating.

Cooling with a heat pump is very limited. The water in the system must not get too cold, as otherwise condensation forms on floors and possibly radiators.

With air conditioning you only heat the room the air conditioner hangs in. So you do not lose energy to rooms that are not in use at that moment.

As long as the heat pump still works with low water temperatures, we at Aircobrabant BV believe heating with an air conditioner is a better and cheaper solution.