Yes, air source heat pumps still work in the winter and in cold weather. When the air temperature outside drops below 3ºC, an air source heat pump’s efficiency levels can reduce but your heat pump will still continue to operate to fulfil your heating and hot water requirements. The Aerona³ heat pumps are designed to work in air temperatures as low as -20ºC so they can operate in cold weather below freezing. You may notice that during cold weather, as the heat pump is not working at its optimal efficiencies, your energy consumption may increase during colder spells.
Your Aerona³ heat pump incorporates clever features which enable it to continue operating, even when the outside temperatures are low. These two features are the defrost cycle and the electric heating element.
During the winter months, freezing condensation on the heat pump’s evaporator coil can occur but, with its in-built defrost function, your Grant heat pump has been designed to cope with this. Lasting only a few minutes, the defrost cycle automatically commences when ice is detected on the evaporator coil – during the cycle, the fan will stop working and the flow the refrigerant in the heat pump is put into reverse. This process takes a small amount of heat from the heating system and uses it to melt the ice of the evaporator and once the ice is cleared, the defrost cycle automatically stops. Find out more about how the defrost cycle works here.
At the base of your Aerona³ heat pump, there is a factory-fitted electric heater which prevents condensate from freezing inside the heat pump. This electric heating element will automatically turn on when the air temperatures falls to 2.5°C or below, ensuring that no water freezes on the inside of your heat pump. When the ambient air temperatures rise again to 5.5°C and above, this electric heating element will automatically turn off.
To learn more about living with a heat pump, including how a heat pump operates during the winter months, please watch our video below.
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