Air Source Heat Pump Market Grows by 13.2%, Expected to Exceed 100 Billion in 2025

Air source heat pump is an energy-saving device that utilizes high-level energy to transfer heat from low-level heat source air to high-level heat source. It is a type of heat pump technology and is known as the "transporter of natural energy". It has multiple advantages such as low usage cost, easy operation, good heating effect, safety, and cleanliness.

Air source heat pumps use energy from the air as the main power source, and drive the compressor to operate with a small amount of electrical energy to transfer energy. They do not require complex configurations, expensive water intake, recharge or soil heat exchange systems, or dedicated machine rooms. They can gradually reduce the large amount of pollutant emissions caused by traditional heating to the atmospheric environment, ensuring heating efficiency while achieving energy-saving and environmental protection goals.

The main uses of air source heat pumps are:

Air source heat pumps can heat in winter and cool in summer, meeting the needs of both seasons. However, other heating equipment often only heats in winter, and air conditioning equipment needs to be installed for cooling in summer.

Safe operation and environmental protection 

Air source heat pumps use the form of heat pump heating, completely separating water and electricity, without the need for coal or natural gas, so they can operate safely 24 hours a day throughout the year without causing pollution to the environment (refrigerant leaks).

Flexible and unrestricted use 

Compared to forms such as solar energy, gas, water and ground source heat pumps, air source heat pumps are not affected by adverse weather conditions such as night, cloudy days, rain, and snow, nor are they limited by geological or gas supply.

Energy saving technology, energy-saving and worry free 

Air source heat pumps use 1 unit of electricity and obtain more than 2 units of free air source from outdoor air, producing more than 3 units of heat energy. They are efficient and environmentally friendly, saving 75% of electricity costs per month compared to electric heating. This saves users such a considerable amount of electricity and quickly recovers machine costs. 

In addition to various advantages such as flexibility, energy efficiency, and power saving, air source heat pumps also have certain limiting factors, such as environmental adaptability issues. 

The energy source of air source heat pumps is the heat energy in the air, but in the face of extremely cold climates, especially in northern China, the heat energy in the air is limited, and the amount of heat energy that can be converted is also limited. The working efficiency of ordinary air source heat pumps will be greatly reduced in extremely low temperature environments of -10 ℃ or lower, which will affect the overall operation of the unit and cannot guarantee heating or hot water supply. Therefore, in order to overcome the technical difficulties of ordinary air source heat pumps being constrained by climate conditions for winter heating, technologies with strong heating effects have emerged.

Working Principle:

Air source heat pump is a device driven by an electric motor, which uses the principle of vapor compression refrigeration cycle to produce cold (hot) air or cold (hot) water from ambient air as a cold (hot) source. Its main components include hot side heat exchange equipment, heat source side heat exchange equipment, and compressor. Air source heat pumps utilize the heat in the air as a low-temperature heat source, which is exchanged through the condenser or evaporator in traditional air conditioners. Then, through the circulation system, heat energy is extracted or released, and the energy is transferred into the building using the unit circulation system to meet users' needs for hot water, underfloor heating, or air conditioning.

Product Category

According to the capacity of the unit, it can be divided into household small units, medium units, large units, etc.

According to the combination form of the unit, it can be divided into integral units (units that share one water side heat exchanger with one or several compressors are called integral units) and modular units (units composed of several independent modules are called modular units).

Related applications and product selection 

1) Air source heat pump underfloor heating

Air source heat pump underfloor heating utilizes low-grade heat energy in the air to be compressed by a compressor and converted into high-temperature heat energy, heating the water temperature to no higher than 60 ℃ (usually 35-50 ℃), and circulating as a heat medium in a dedicated pipeline to heat the ground decoration layer. Through ground radiation and convection heat transfer, the ground is heated up, and the heat rises from the building surface, making the temperature of the entire indoor space evenly distributed without hot air sensation, which is conducive to maintaining moisture in the environment and improving human comfort. 

Transporting heat from the air to indoor heating saves 75% of electricity compared to electric floor heating. It provides 24-hour heating and is easy to install, buried underground, does not occupy indoor space, and can be matched with different decoration styles. It can also meet various needs such as household and commercial use. 

2) Air source heat pump central air conditioning 

Air source heat pump central air conditioning obtains a large amount of heat from the air outdoors for free, and then transfers the heat indoors through electrical energy, achieving energy-saving effects of producing more than 3 parts of heat from 1 part of electricity. It has high efficiency, no pollutant emissions, and does not affect the atmospheric environment, providing a good choice for homeowners and developers to choose convenient, energy-saving, and efficient central air conditioning. 

3) Air source heat pump water heater 

Air source heat pump water heater is a type of water heater that incorporates an air source heat pump into a regular water heater. It absorbs low-temperature heat from the air, compresses it with a compressor, and converts it into high-temperature heat to heat the water temperature. Traditional electric water heaters and gas water heaters obtain heat energy by consuming gas and electricity, while air source water heaters heat water by absorbing heat from the air. With the same amount of electricity consumption, they can absorb about three times the amount of heat energy to heat water. They also overcome the disadvantages of solar water heaters being unusable and inconvenient to install on rainy days, and have many advantages such as high safety, high energy saving, long service life, and no emission of toxic and harmful gases. 

Air source heat pump water heaters have the characteristics of high efficiency and energy saving. Under the premise of producing the same amount of hot water, the consumption cost of air source water heaters is only 1/4 of that of electric water heaters, and even more energy-efficient than electric assisted solar water heaters.

Selection method

How to choose air source heat pump products 

1) Look at the brand

Air source heat pumps are products with high technical requirements. Therefore, when choosing a brand, it is recommended to choose professional brands with good reputation, such as Midea, Hisense, Hitachi, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Haier, and Ouke air conditioners. In addition to choosing a trustworthy brand, it is also necessary to consider the background and strength of the compressor technology provider.

2) Look at technology

When ordinary air source heat pumps are used in cold regions with lower temperatures, the decrease in ambient temperature leads to a decrease in evaporation temperature and refrigerant flow rate, greatly reducing heating capacity. Meanwhile, the increase in exhaust temperature caused by the increase in compression ratio can also lead to a decrease in the reliability of the compressor.

Application issues

Cold regions have lower winter temperatures and dry climates. The calculated outdoor temperature for heating is generally between -5 and -15 ℃, and the average outdoor relative humidity in the coldest month is generally between 45% and 65%. Choosing air source heat pumps in these areas does not result in severe frosting. Therefore, frosting is not the biggest obstacle to using air source heat pumps in these areas during winter. However, there are some limitations to the application of air source heat pumps in cold regions. 

(1) When a large amount of heat is required, the heating capacity of the air source heat pump is insufficient. 

(2) The reliability of air source heat pumps in cold regions is poor. 

(3) In low-temperature environments, the energy efficiency ratio (EER) of air source heat pumps will rapidly decrease.