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Yes! Although most people think of air conditioners for cooling their homes in the summer months, they can also be used for heating in the winter. Whilst conventional air conditioners might only produce cool air, modern air conditioning units increasingly produce warm and cool air. Modern units heat your room by reverse cycle, meaning that during colder months when used in heating mode, they bring in heat from the outside and transfer it inside to warm your rooms.
Heating your home is one of the biggest uses of household energy, typically accounting for over 60% of your energy consumption. Whilst boilers and radiators powered by oil or gas have always been a popular choice, people are now seeking more modern heating solutions such as heat pumps or air conditioners to heat their homes. Air conditioners are very efficient for heating homes during the colder winter months, producing about five times more heat than boilers for each kilowatt of electricity used.
While boilers and radiators powered by fossil fuel are still the primary means of heating across Europe, the technology behind central heating is not deemed to be the most energy efficient way to heat your home. Combined with increasing fuel costs, this is one of the main reasons people are looking for other ways to heat their homes in colder months.
Although most people consider air conditioners for cooling their homes in the summer, they are actually also a great heating solution for your home. Air conditioners are extremely energy efficient, producing approximately 5kW of heat for each kW of electrical energy used, compared to under 1kW of heat per kW of energy from a boiler. This shows that over long term use, an air conditioner is more cost effective.
In addition to being more cost effective, air conditioners will also help to reduce household carbon emissions which is why governments across Europe are now advocating the move away from fossil fuel based heating systems.
Yes when compared to central heating systems powered by fossil fuels. Air conditioners (also known as air-to-air heat pumps) take heat energy from the outside air and bring it into your home to warm the air inside. The heat is taken from ambient air rather than being generated by burning fuel and this use of renewable energy is what reduces the running costs and makes air conditioners a much more sustainable heating solution for your home.
While there are other sustainable solutions for heating your home when it comes to replacing your heating system, an efficient heat pump is often the best option if you are planning renovation work and is usually the preferred choice for new build homes.
Once per year is recommended, but if your equipment is making more noise than usual or not heating or cooling as much usual, that can be a sign that you need more immediate attention. We offer regular servicing and maintenance visits to help ensure that your equipment continues to perform as its best.
If you are looking for ways to reduce your energy costs and be more sustainable in your energy consumption, but don’t want to overhaul your entire heating system, you could consider adding air conditioners to the one or two rooms where you spend the most time. Even that could provide a significant cost saving. You could continue to use your central heating system for hot water, and use radiators to heat only the rooms where you spend less time. That way you still have radiators as back up option in the rooms you use infrequently, and you get the benefits of heating your home in a more energy and cost efficient way in the main living areas of your home.
Using air conditioners to replace radiators in the rooms that you use most can still bring a number of benefits:
Some people feel more confident having a member of our team cleaning their unit on their behalf, but you don’t need a professional to clean your unit or perform the regular checks we have suggested. The task just needs to be approached with care. Carrying out regular checks yourself is beneficial as it will help you to understand what normal functioning feels like and you will be better able to detect when things go wrong.
With some issues though, a specialist skillset is required to remedy a problem and prevent further damage. For example, if you notice a leak, it could be time to call in a professional for a repair. Leaks can indicate there are blockages in the pumps or tubes, or signal other kinds of damage.
If you notice the refrigerant levels are low, there’s a good chance of a leak somewhere in the unit. If your unit is working properly, you should never need to add more refrigerants. So, if you notice lower levels than usual, a professional should be called.
Following these maintenance tips will help to ensure that your air conditioner stays running in optimum condition for as long as possible. If you do need any help with your cleaning or maintenance, or you suspect your unit is faulty, call in one of our experts. They will be able to help fix any issues before a bigger problem can arise.
