ᐅ Cooling with a heat pump through underfloor heating?

nordanney schrieb:

Nice, but nothing more.

I agree. A heat pump only lowers the temperature slightly during longer heat waves if the heating surface is not also designed optimally for cooling. This usually means concrete core activation in the concrete ceilings.

i_b_n_a_n schrieb:

A gentle breeze can already be enough to keep the temperature “bearable” 😎
Sure, an air conditioner is more powerful, but it is purely electric cooling.
A ground-source heat pump can potentially do this without extra electricity! through PC (passive cooling)

We find summer especially unbearable with high temperatures combined with high humidity. Whether it is a ground-source heat pump or an air-to-water heat pump, the humidity, which ultimately causes the muggy and uncomfortable feeling, is not reduced. Only an air conditioner can do that. Cooling with a heat pump is nice but not comparable to an air conditioning unit. I gladly accept electric cooling, which is at least partly powered by a photovoltaic system. The cooling effect is much greater.

In addition, during transitional periods when underfloor heating does not run continuously because it is still too warm during the day, the air conditioner provides suitable heating for early autumn evenings.

T_im_Norden schrieb:

if you call the same device an air conditioner and it cools

It is also not sufficient to just change the name if the functionality of an air conditioner (i.e., producing cold air) is not present.

Where air conditioning units are mentioned, I have an additional question: Does the outdoor unit have to be installed outside, or is it possible to install it somewhere else, for example, on a (cold) attic? However, I assume there could be issues with humidity if it is not properly ventilated.

Because attic temperatures can sometimes reach sauna-like levels in summer, the coefficient of performance (COP) drops drastically, causing the system to consume unnecessarily more electricity than needed. So, if you want an efficient system, it must be installed outside or the heat exchanger on the attic must be freely ventilated with outside air.

nordanney schrieb:

It is not enough just to rename it if the function of an air conditioner (i.e., producing cooling) is not present.

That is not true. They are all essentially the same systems. However, heat pumps used for underfloor heating are not allowed to cool down as much as the same devices that directly cool the air. There are small differences in the design and software that set certain limits.

But every heat pump used for heating can also be used for cooling, and every so-called “air conditioner,” which is often frowned upon and almost booed if mentioned, can just as easily be converted into a heat pump for underfloor heating.

Marketing and advertising slogans are just that. One is strongly rejected by customers while the other is eagerly accepted. Underneath the casing, both are the same system.

Mycraft schrieb:

That’s not correct. They are all the same systems.

Then I must have expressed myself poorly. Due to its application, the heat pump cannot operate as an air conditioner. Technically, they are both the same and, of course, closely related to the refrigerator. There you can clearly see what happens with strong cooling – condensation. That’s why underfloor heating only works “semi-optimally” ;-)

I’m glad that our heat pump can do that; it helps in summer.
However, air conditioning is better, and ceiling cooling is even better.
Second, it’s possible with the heat pump, but it then costs more than 1000€ (approximately 1100 USD).