Before saying which are the best brands of heat pumps, we will try to briefly explain what are the reasons that pushed us towards certain brands, leaving out other famous ones.
This central heat pump guide is a comprehensive resource that answers all the questions:
How much does a heat pump cost?
We reduce the costs of heat pumps by brand, we discuss factors that influence costs plus labor and supply costs for installation.
What are the best heat pump brands 2020?
We explain the different lines of models (basic, best and best) that most brands produce and then classify the brands themselves as budget brands, standard brands and premium brands.
The reason is very simple: heat pumps , especially air-to-air ones , are made by many manufacturers around the world. The Asian houses, also Japanese therefore, have been on the air conditioning market for many years. Since the operating principle of an air conditioner and that of a heat pump are very similar, with the reverse procedure, many houses have decided to convert their air conditioners, adapting them to this new nascent market.
Types of heat pumps
Residential heat pumps are electrical devices, that is, they need electricity to activate. However, the energy source they use is for the most part coming from the environment, which is why we speak of heat pumps as efficient and ecological solutions for domestic air conditioning.
The primary energy that these appliances take from the environment can derive from:
Air
Through a fan or through ducts, the heat pump extracts heat from the ambient air and brings it inside the building through the heating system (in this case it refers to an air-water heat pump )
Groundwater
Through the installation of plastic pipes about 1.5 meters below ground level or through the construction of vertical wells, which can reach depths of up to 200 meters below the ground surface, the heat pump takes thermal energy from water present in the subsoil (we are talking about water-water heat pump)
Soil
There is always heat in the soil that can be exploited, even in winter. In this case we are talking about geothermal heat pumps that manage to obtain energy using geothermal probes that can reach considerable depths.
In the case of a water or geothermal heat pump (which uses the heat present naturally in the subsoil) it is necessary to carry out the necessary hydro-geological analyzes , before starting the work, and to evaluate the feasibility of the project.
Furthermore, in some areas protected by landscape constraints it may be mandatory to request specific authorizations to proceed with the drilling of the land.
The air source heat pump is certainly the easiest one to install, because it does not require major interventions. However, to make sure it is the best choice for your home there are other aspects to consider.
Opting for one heat pump over another depends a lot on the climatic zone in which you are, that is, on the minimum and maximum temperatures that are reached during the seasonal peaks.
In the case of areas with particularly harsh winters, the heat pump may not be able to guarantee maximum comfort and therefore it may be more convenient to opt for a different solution. Want to find out which ones? In this article we talked about all the latest generation solutions available today .
How to find the best heat pump? Easy, it is the one that:
Meets specific usage needs Do you want to buy a heat pump for home heating? Great. This type of ecological generator is able, on its own, to cover up to 80% of the annual thermal load.
Know, however, that the best heat pumps can also produce hot water for sanitary use and, if reversible, they can be used in summer for domestic cooling. All this translates into a possible saving on consumption even up to 30-40% because it installs a single device at home that can satisfy multiple needs and ensure the right ideal in every season.
It is designed on the energy needs of your family: Generally the heat pump is sized to meet the thermal losses of the building. This means that on a particularly cold day the heat pump must be able to ensure the right degree of comfort to the home, despite the dispersions caused by glass, doors and windows and poor insulation of the building.
To ensure a truly performing system, the intervention of a qualified technician, capable of studying the starting situation and correctly sizing the necessary system, is essential. In some cases, depending on the volumes to be heated or the climatic zone in which you live, it may be necessary to place an additional generator alongside the heat pump, for example a gas condensing boiler.
It saves you money. Although the heat pump needs electricity to activate, most of the energy used to heat the house or produce hot water comes from the external environment, so it's free. With an air source heat pump, the share of energy drawn from the outside is 65-70%.
Percentage rising up to 75-80% in the case of the geothermal heat pump , the most performing solution ever . Whichever type of heat pump is most suitable for you, if you choose a high efficiency model, the cost of electricity needed to keep the generator active will still be lower than what you would pay on your bill, if you used a gas boiler with condensation to heat the house.
It is good for the environment. With a heat pump there is no need to worry about flues, fuel containers and connections to the natural gas network. Therefore, you will not have to store large quantities of raw material to feed the generator or worry about the exhaust fumes.
The heat pump is an ecological generator , does not produce CO2 and does not release pollutants harmful to the environment.
It integrates with your heating system. The heat pump is a generator at low operating temperatures, therefore it is perfectly combined with underfloor heating systems that require low temperature water (30-35 ° C) to ensure maximum comfort.
Otherwise, if you have a radiator system (which requires water at 70 ° C) it could be complicated to heat the water to be conveyed to the air conditioning system using only the heat pump. Would you like to know more?
To help you choose the best heat pump, also check the technical data on the energy label and prefer high efficiency generators, belonging to the highest classes.
One of the advantages of the heat pump is that you can combine it with other technologies, such as photovoltaic panels , thus creating a complete and even more efficient system. And this applies to both new projects and renovations subject to energy requalification.
Let's take the case of this villa on Lake Maggiore. The client had explicitly requested a highly innovative and technological system that was respectful of the environment and exploited renewable sources.
European houses, on the other hand, have years of experience in heat pumps and their products have been designed and manufactured to heat first of all , as well as cool in the summer.
In conclusion, the majority of European brands are clearly superior to Asian rivals and before listing the brands, we will list the reasons:
- European homes often have service centers with trained and trained technicians, and often have skilled and directly hired staff.
- The duration of a system designed to heat is longer than that of an adapted one.
- The adjusted air conditioners , when temperatures drop below zero, enter into crisis, the yield decreases drastically and rise steeply consumption.
- The adapted heat pump is not designed to emit cold outside and the risk of ice formation on the heatsinks and fans is very high.
- The flow temperature of an adapted pump is on average lower than that of a specifically designed for heating.
Daikin Heat Pump
The Japanese house Daikin has been able to stand out from its Japanese rivals, since it has invested in heat pumps, going to acquire the German Rotex Heating System Gmbh and entering the market with a highly respected know-how.
The Daikin Rotex designers have decided to opt for hybrid systems , in which the heat pump is not left to work alone, but combined with condensing boilers or better yet with solar thermal systems , such as the Rotex HPSU Compact.
Viessmann Heat Pump
German company, world leader in heating systems , also has heat pumps among its products. The professionalism of the brand is beyond question. We would like to mention the Vitocal geothermal heat pump , made in 3 power variants: 200-G, 300-G and 350-G. Viessmann's thirty years of experience has allowed the brand to make heat pumps up to a power of 2 MW.
Clima Veneta Heat Pump
Driven by a healthy patriotic spirit, but not only, among the best brands of heat pumps we must mention Clima Veneta . Italian company based in Veneto, has created a range of heat pumps called Prana , designed and built for families.
The evolution of technology has led to the creation of Nadisystem , an electronic controller that allows the different components of the system to interact with each other.
Vaillant Heat Pump
Another German giant that competes for the heating market in the world, creating truly efficient compact and monobloc solutions. Of this brand we mention the flexoTHERM exclusive heat pump saline / water solution, which among many functions, has the "PV Ready" ideal for making the most of photovoltaic solar panels and therefore self-consumption.
The temperature reached by this heat pump is 60 ° C, with an energy class A ++. Vaillant is so sure of the validity of its products, that it promotes the "7 Guarantee" initiative , that is, a 7-year guarantee extension program.
Schüco Heat Pump
A German brand, known as Schüco International Italia, which manufactures an excellent heat pump for water for sanitary use.
For this reason it is convenient to install it in dedicated rooms, taking advantage of the dehumidifying power of this appliance. In this way, in addition to heating the water, it will give a sanitizing contribution to the garage or laundry room where it can be installed.
CONCLUSIONS
The brands listed above are not the only ones, but they certainly know how to stand out in this large market. Finding the heat pump that best suits your needs requires careful analysis, which the expert installers of lowering bottles can do for you. Other certainly important brands in this market are American Standard, Clivet , Rossato Group , Mitsubishi and Lovato .
For more information, you can request a free quote or carry out a savings simulation with the installation of a heat pump for heating.