Improvements in or relating to heat pumps for hot water and heating systems

摘要

A heating system for providing both hot water and room central heating, preferably by conventional radiators or underfloor heating 12, comprises a heat pump 11 and a thermal store 15. The thermal store comprises well insulated reclaimed or redundant refrigerator or freezer cabinets which are located within the ground. The thermal store is provided with two sets of pipework, one containing glycol anti-freeze solution and the other containing water, to enable additional storage of heat within the cabinets before transfer to the heat pump. The system is designed such that heat stored within the cabinets provides a higher source temperature to the heat pump than that available from the surrounding ground. Preferably, heat is supplied to the cabinets by a wood-burning stove with a back-boiler (20, fig.3) or by solar panels. The heat from the wood-burning stove may also be used to drive a Stirling engine (21, fig.3) to produce electricity.