Embrace Year-Round Comfort with Air Source Heat Pumps
Forget the confusion of countless, complex pool heat pump options. We offer a range of clarity – and warmth – with our air source heat pumps. These innovative systems harness the power of the air to efficiently heat your pool, extending your swimming season and delivering year-round comfort.
Unlike traditional heaters, air source heat pumps don’t create heat, they simply transfer it. Think of them as hardworking assistants, capturing heat from the air and moving it to your pool water. And the best part? This eco-friendly process is highly efficient, requiring just one unit of electricity to generate up to 5.25 units of heat for your pool.
Our Thermotec range showcases the pinnacle of air source heat pump technology. With full inverter drives, Wi-Fi control, and color touch screens, they offer both convenience and performance. Choose from horizontal or vertical models, with single or 3-phase power supplies ranging from 9kW to 34kW, all backed by a 3-year warranty for peace of mind.
Get your instant heat pump quote in 2 minutes!
Ready to unlock energy savings and government grants? Our quick and easy tool calculates the cost and specs for your ideal air source heat pump. Get a free, indicative quote in just 2 minutes! No more waiting around – see the potential savings and unlock a £7,500 government voucher through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
Swim whenever you like! Heat pumps extend your swimming season, adding months of blissful enjoyment to your pool.
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Uncompromising Comfort
Say goodbye to goosebumps! Enjoy consistently warm water, regardless of the weather, for a truly pleasurable swimming experience.
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Energy Efficiency
Save money while you swim! Heat pumps utilise renewable energy and boast impressive COP ratings, translating to lower running costs.
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Eco-Conscious Choice
Make a positive impact on the environment with a sustainable heating solution. Heat pumps use significantly less energy than traditional heaters, reducing your carbon footprint.
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Effortless Operation
Relax and enjoy! Most of our heat pumps come with automated controls, taking the hassle out of maintaining your desired temperature.
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Variety for Every Pool
Find the perfect fit! With a wide range of sizes and models available, there’s a heat pump suitable for any pool size and budget.
Swimming pool heat pumps FAQs
Does a swimming pool need a heat pump?
In the UK all swimming pools should utilize a heat pump regardless of whether your swimming pool is above or inground.
Heat pumps are inexpensive overall. They are reasonably priced, easy to install and maintain and an essential item. Having a garden pool may be aesthetically pleasing to the eye but if the water is not warm and inviting you may not want to use your pool as often as you could.
How can I heat my swimming pool?
This is a question that lots of people ask. Generally, the main heating systems available for swimming pools are Gas (LPG or Propane), Electric or Oil heaters. Some of these heaters can be beneficial from a cost point of view but tend to lose their appeal when it comes to installation (and running) costs and this is why an air source heat pump can be a much better solution to heating a pool.
How do swimming pool heat pumps work?
Essentially the process is similar to the way a refrigerator works. Heat is drawn from the environment surrounding the heat pump which is then turned into heat for your pool.
How efficient is a water heat pump?
They don’t have a simple efficiency number to work with. Their efficiency is measured by Coefficiency of Performance (COP). COP averages at 5.25 across the range. This means that for every unit of electricity that you put in to run the compressor, you can obtain up to 5.25 units of heat out of the heat pump.
*COP is dependent on a number of factors, i.e water temperature, air temperature and relative humidity.
How noisy are heat pumps?
All heat pumps resonate some form of noise due to the fact that they require a circulating fan to draw the warm ambient air over the evaporator coils. Most heat pump manufacturers have developed their fan motor technology to such an extent that the decibel output is minimal.
Competition’s decibel noise level (dB(A)) ranges from 52- 61 dB(A) comparable to a dishwasher! However, respectful consideration must be to adjoining neighbours regarding installing any type of mechanical heater, be it gas, oil or an electric heat pump. What one noise level may be accepted or tolerated by one person may not be accepted by another!
In general the RA model is slightly quieter due to the nature of the fan that is used in manufacture. The RA has a plastic circulating fan as opposed to a steel blade meaning there is less noise produced.
If a noise level is of concern or if in doubt we would strongly recommend that the RA model is acquired and installed in an indoor environment.
How do I know that I am buying the correct size unit?
Sizing the correct heat pump for your pool is very important. We use a pool heat loss calculator to determine how much heat your pool construction loses.
When I use a heat pump, should I use a pool cover or solar blanket as well?
Any reduction in pool heat loss directly translates into savings. 82% of all losses are due to evaporation. Using a pool cover just a night will save about 40% of the annual heating cost. A pool cover or solar blanket can cut total pool heat loss by 50% to 95%. The use of a solar blanket will also help extend your pool season.
What is the minimum ambient operating temperature?
Pool heat pumps will actually operate down to an ambient air temperature of 0 degrees Celsius, but with minimal heat output. Therefore we recommend that the minimum operating temperature should be 15 degrees Celsius. Other conditions such as wind, shade and physical location will affect the shut-off temperature of the unit.
How close to your pool?
Normally, the pool pump and heat pump are installed close together and within 8mof the pool. The longer the distance from the pool, the more heat loss from piping. Since normally most of the piping is buried, the heat loss is minimal for runs of up to 15m (unless the ground is wet or the water table is high. A very rough estimate of heat loss per 33m is 2500 BTU/hr for every 12C difference in temperature between the pool water and ground surrounding the pipe, which translates to about 3% to 5% increase in run time.
What size heat pump do I need for my pool?
The size of heat pump that you’ll need for your pool will depend on the size of your pool, the thermal properties of your pool structure, wind speed, water velocity, water table and whether or not you’re using a heat retention cover. A good rule of thumb is to assess the amount of heat (in kW) that you are likely to lose on an hourly basis and buy a heat pump that exceeds that number. See our Swimming Pool Heat Pump Size Guide Chart below for more information.
What pool heat pump is best?
The best pool heat pump for you will depend on your swimming pool, as well as the conditions that you are running it in. The following products have been chosen for their performance and efficiency:
ElectroHeat Plus – Features extra-large evaporator for maximum heat extraction, perfect for extending swimming pool season or roof top pools.
ElectroHeat Eco V Inverter Heatpump – Features variable fan and compressor speed to maintain a constant temperature and improve overall efficiency.
ElectroHeat Aquaflow MkII – Features horizontal ventilation for smaller installations such as plunge pools and spas.
ElectroHeat Ulra Sub Zero – Heats pools in colder climates, even when temperatures drop close to freezing. ElectroHeat Pro – For cost-effective commercial swimming pool heating.
Are pool heat pumps worth it?
Pool heat pumps usually cost more than traditional pool heaters, however this is offset by a lower annual operating costs. A pool heat pump is worth investing in if you are looking to reduce your heating costs, whilst also looking to potentially extend the season of your outdoor swimming pool.
How much does it cost to run a pool heat pump?
The cost of running a heat pump will depend on the size of your swimming pool, the ambient temperatures that you’re operating the pump and the target temperature you’re trying to reach. As an approximation, it would cost £5 per day heat a 10m x 4m pool to 28°C.
How long does it take a heat pump to heat a pool?
A swimming pool heat pump takes between 24 and 72 hours to heat a pool by 11°C. This time will vary depending on the size of your pool, the power of your pool heat pump and the ambient temperature.
Should I run my pool heat pump at night?
You should run your pool heat pump at night if you are planning on swimming first thing in the morning. How and when you choose to run your pool heat pump will depend on how often you swim and at what time of day. Using an automated control system can help to reduce costs.
What months are heat pumps ideally suited for?
Normally, heat pumps are sold for use in the summer season only. Yes, all the manufacturers state that they will work in ambient temperatures from 0-5 deg but will have minimal heat output, and realistically, at these temperatures you will be unlikely want to be swimming. Ideally, a heat pump should not be switched on until the ambient air temperature has reached 15C
Heat pumps are ideally suited for heating your pool in the summer season only (May – September). However, with various climate changes that we have been experiencing in recent years, we have had reports from our customers that they have been running their heat pumps from April to late October!
Swimming Pool Heat Pump Size Guide Chart
Thermotec Inverter Horizontal 9kw
9kw
30m3
45m3
Thermotec Inverter Horizontal 12kw
12kw
40m3
60m3
Thermotec Inverter Horizontal 17kw
17kw
50m3
75m3
Thermotec Inverter Horizontal 20kw
19.5kw
65m3
95m3
Thermotec Inverter Horizontal 24kw
24.2kw
75m3
120m3
Thermotec Inverter Vertical 29kw
28.6kw
93m3
116m3
Thermotec Inverter Vertical 34kw
34kw
109m3
136m3
Thermotec Inverter Vertical 34kw (3-phase)
34kw
109m3
136m3
136m3
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Solar Panels
New Era Energy offer expert solar panel installations in Bromley, South East London & across Kent, London and surrounding areas. For those who care about the future and the environment solar panels are the most energy efficient solution you can utilise. They will cut your carbon footprint, cut your fossil fuel dependence and dramatically cut your energy costs. Take advantage of the suns energy for free and stop releasing CO2 into the atmosphere. You can massively reduce your reliance on the electricity grid to your long-term benefit.
New Era Energy only offer high performance solar panels that will give you the highest efficiency and longest life span combined with the lowest degradation of output over their lifespan.
You need to be careful considering efficiency as the most important feature of a solar panel. In fact what matters is real world performance, reliability, history and the warranty on offer.
HOW SOLAR PANELS WORK
They first utilise solar energy that is converted into DC power using the photovoltaic effect.
Light particles produced by the sun are called photons, they are the most basic, fundamental particle of light. It is these photons in natural daylight that are converted by solar panel cells to produce electricity. This small bundle of electromagnetic energy is constantly in motion. A solar panel works by allowing photons to bounce into electrons in the solar panel setting them free from atoms, generating a flow of DC electricity.
The DC power can then be stored in a battery storage system or converted into AC by an Inverter for direct use in your home. A solar panel system that is connected to the grid is known as on grid system. One that is also connected to battery storage is known as a hybrid system. These functions rely on the type of inverter you decide on.
Solar panels are made up of many silicone based photovoltaic cells (PV Cells) and these generate DC electricity directly from sunlight. These are linked together within the panel and are connected to adjacent panels with cables. The amount of electricity generated depends on solar panel efficiency, shading losses, dirt, ambient temperature and the installation orientation. They can still generate electricity during cloudy weather, but this depends on how much light can pass through the clouds.
Solar panel efficiency is a measure of the percentage of sunlight that the panel converts into electricity. The cell types are PERC, IBC and HJT and these can all provide efficiency of over 22% with outputs of over 400W per panel up to 600W depending on the panel size.
The N type silicone cells in all the panels we offer will lose no more than 0.25% of power output per annum over 25 years. They will still produce at least 90% of their output after 25 years.
THE ISSUES THAT MAINLY EFFECT PANEL EFFICIENCY ARE
Irradiance– This varies depending on clouds, latitude, time of year and shading. Slight shading over several cells can have a big impact on that solar panel and on the entire string by say 50%. This is because the elements are connected in series and the shading effect on one panel affects every panel. An add on device such as an optimiser or micro-inverter stops the effect being carried beyond the affected panel. In the UK there is a lot of diffuse light that is bounced off building surfaces and even clouds and this produces useful light for the production of electricity.
Orientation– If you have a large, un-shaded, predominantly south-facing roof space, you are fortunate as this is ideal for solar panels, either for heating water or for generating electricity. A south-west or west-facing roof would also be suitable, though a little less productive. Even a direct North roof produces 55% of the output of a South roof so all orientations are considered in the design of a system.
Temperature– The power rating temperature that solar panels are tested at (STC) is 25C . In sunny weather the internal cell temperature can be 20 to 30C above the ambient air temperature and the output is then reduced by 8 to 15%. The nominal operating cell temperature (NOCT) performance is tested at 45C. In colder weather with good levels of sunlight the PV cell output will increase. HJT cells are the best performing in higher temperatures with IBC close behind.
PERC CELLS
PERC solar cells improve cell efficiency by depositing additional passive coating and laser grooves on traditional cells. LONGi launched its mono-PERC modules in 2016, featuring integrated PERC technology on monocrystalline silicon and low light degradation. Its cell efficiency has increased from 21% to 24.06%.
Bifacial Solar panels
The vast majority of solar panels are monofacial, which means that they only generate energy from the front of the module.
Bifacial solar panels expose both sides of the cells to sunlight, increasing total energy generation. They use either a reflective backsheet or dual panes of glass rather than the opaque backsheet that is used in monofacial solar panels.
Most bifacial solar panels are frameless and are also a little thicker to ensure structural integrity.
Monocrystalline cells are used in bifacial solar panels as they are the most efficient. Combining monocrystalline cells with a clear path for the light to get through on both sides helps to generate more energy.
Bifacial solar panels can generate 30% more energy than monofacial solar panels.
As you would expect, the front of the panels still takes in the most sunlight but the rear is still able to generate anywhere between 5% to 30% of that absorbed by the front.
HALF-CUT MODULE TECHNOLOGY
Higher power & higher reliability: Traditional monocrystalline solar panels usually have 60 to 72 solar cells, so when those cells are cut in half, the number of cells increases. Half-cut panels have 120 to 144 cells and are usually made with PERC technology, which offers higher module efficiency.
Since the solar cells are cut in half, and are thereby reduced in size, they have more cells on the panel than traditional panels do. The panel itself is then split in half so that the top and bottom portions operate as two separate panels – generating energy even if one half is shaded. This means that if your home has some trees that cast shade onto your roof at certain times during the day, your entire solar panel will not be unusable, as it would with a traditional solar panel.
They improve the power output and performance of solar modules because they offer a higher shade tolerance due to their unique wiring system.
The key to half-cut cell design is a different method of “series wiring” for the panel, or the way the solar cells are wired together and pass electricity through a bypass diode within a panel. The bypass diode, indicated by the red line in the images below, carries the electricity that the cells generate to the junction box.
In a traditional panel, when one cell is shaded or faulty and does not process energy, the entire row that is within the series wiring will stop producing power. This knocks out a third of the panel. A half-cut, 6-string solar panel works a bit differently:
If a solar cell in Row 1 is shaded, the cells within that row (and that row only) will stop producing power. Row 4 will continue to produce power, generating more energy than a traditional series wiring because only one-sixth of the panel has stopped producing power, instead of one-third.
You can also see that the panel itself is split in half, so there are 6 total cell groups instead of 3. The bypass diode connects in the middle of the panel, instead of on one side like the traditional wiring above.
What is N-Type Mono?
How are solar cells made, and what is doping?
Silica sand is purified to produce silicon. After purification the silicon crystals can be exposed to minerals such as boron and phosphorous in a process known as doping, and then either melted and formed into bricks for cutting, to produce polycrystalline wafers, or grown into ingots for slicing with a diamond wire into thin monocrystalline wafers.
These wafers are then further treated to turn them into solar panel cells. Solar cells work by introducing a potential difference across the upper and lower layer – one surface has extra electrons while the other has a deficit creating an electrical field, and a fine conductive metal circuit allows electrons to flow between the layers when light photons hit the cell and displace the free electrons. This is what doping the silicon achieves. The wafers, whether sliced from a poly ‘brick’ or a mono ingot, will have a coating of doped silicon applied, which is the opposite to the doping of their base layer. This creates the P-N junction (positive/negative) which gives a solar cell its electric potential.
Positive p-type and Negative n-type
The most widely available kind of solar panels at the moment is based on cells where the main ingot and hence base layer is doped with boron. Boron has one less electron than silicon, which makes the cell’s base positivelycharged (hence P-type). The top layer is negatively charged (after having its coating of n-type silicon layer applied) establishing the potential difference outlined above.
N-type cells use phosphorous, which has one more electron and gives the base layer of the cell a negativecharge (hence N-type). These then have a coating of p-type silicon applied to create the P-N junction but by the reverse means. One thing this means is that the direction of flow of electrons is different for p-type and n-type panels. There are other differences though, that have a bearing on module performance.
Why does n-type lead to more power?
One of the disadvantages to boron doping is that boron reacts with oxygen which is a factor in cells and panels being more susceptible to Light Induced Degradation (LID). LID causes a solar panel to reduce in efficiency as a result of exposure to light – an amount of that degradation is expected and factored into the performance predictions on a panel’s datasheet and warranty. Phosphorous doping does not have this issue, meaning that n-type panels will have far better lifetime performance since they will degrade much less quickly. Output warranties on n-type panels therefore tend to be longer, and less steep in their decline, compared with p-type panels. Obviously, degrading less over their productive lifetime, makes n-type solar panels produce more power during that time overall than a p-type equivalent, even when their rated ‘nameplate’ output is the same. The graph above shows the additional warrantied power production our Jinko n-type solar panels would offer over their lifetime.
So why is p-type the standard?
N-type mono isn’t new – in fact the first solar cell made in 1954 was an n-type cell. P-type cells were found to perform better against radiation exposure though, and were therefore well suited to the use of solar in space – a lot of the early research and development of solar was intended for this application.
From that early point on, scale was in favour of p-type and n-type was reserved for use in premium solar panels. Many of the panels known for their efficiency by the likes of LG, Panasonic, Sunpower and REC use n-type in some form or another. Recently though, the lifetime power benefits of n-type mono and significant manufacturer emphasis on efficiency gains on monocrystalline cells in particular, mean that n-type mono is finding its way into mainstream products at lower cost.
Prices are already comparable to similar outputs in p-type products, and the slight uplift in up front cost is outweighed by more power (and thereby return) overall.
