See, hear and feel a heat pump before purchase

UK: A new online tool could enable homeowners to see, hear and feel what living with an air-source heat pump would be like.

Cheshire-based heat pump installation company Warma UK has teamed up with Dr Mike Fell from University College London’s Energy Institute to simulate how a heat pump would perform in a potential users home. 

Using their existing central heating system, a smart phone and a bluetooth speaker, Warma UK say it’s possible for people to see a heat pump in place at their home, hear what it would sound like, and feel the way it gradually heats their home to an optimum and consistent temperature.

The company, which specialises in securing and installing grant funded energy efficient measures, says it recognises that moving away from gas and oil boilers is a big commitment not everyone is willing to take, and their new tool is designed to enable people to try before they buy.

Using Warma UK’s Test Drive a Heat Pump augmented reality tool on a smart phone or tablet, users can place a heat pump outside their home to get a realistic idea of how it’ll look once installed.

Through a Bluetooth speaker, users can experience the sound level of a heat pump when it is running at full power.

Finally, Warma UK says that by turning down a boiler’s flow rate it’s possible to simulate the way a heat pump gradually heats a home and maintains a consistent temperature. 

Warma UK insists that there is a lot of misinformation in the public domain about heat pumps and their performance and they are determined to put the record straight and demonstrate how heat pumps can benefit not just the planet, but users wallets too. 

As a result, the company believes that full transparency about heat pumps and their performance is vital if the UK is to achieve its target of getting people to switch from gas and oil heating systems.

In addition to its Test Drive a Heat Pump tool, Warma UK is actively promoting innovation agency Nesta’s new visit a heat pump scheme.

The recently launched scheme enables people see an air source heat pump in action and have their questions answered by heat pump owners across the UK. Interested parties can register their details at Nesta’s site.

Access Warma UK’s Test Drive a Heat Pump tool here.