HEAT PUMP: How to deal with the drawbacks (hide your view, reduce your noise, etc.)

The heat pump offers great advantages: more economical and ecological, it has the wind in its sails when it comes to heating a house, an apartment or a swimming pool.

Let's take a look at the different types of heat pumps, their advantages, and above all how to overcome their disadvantages (obtain the required permits, hide the outdoor heat pump unit to prevent it from spoiling your view, install an anti- noise to limit the noise pollution of the heat pump…)

heat pump disadvantages and solutions

HOW DOES A HEAT PUMP WORK ?

Operation of the heat pump

fundamental principles

The heat pump is a heating system that will draw (via the evaporator) the heat calories present naturally and free of charge outside, increase their temperature (thanks to the compressor) and transfer this heat to the room or water. to be heated (via the condenser).

The heat pump is thus clearly more advantageous than other heating systems from the point of view of respect for the environment because it uses natural, clean, renewable…and free energy.

In addition, unlike conventional heating systems, its efficiency creates more energy than the heat pump needs to operate. A high-performance heat pump will thus offer you a yield of the order of 4 or 5, that is to say that with only 1kWh consumed, the heat pump will be able to produce the equivalent of 4 or 5kWh. Whether you have a gas, electric or oil-fired boiler, replacing it with a heat pump to heat you will therefore allow you to make big savings on your energy bills. To choose the right heat pump and compare performance levels, you should carefully look at its Coefficient of Performance (COP) and choose a COP of at least 4 to reach these performance levels.

Diagram of a heat pump:

heat pump operating diagram

Source: ADEME

What is a heat pump used for: heating a house, an apartment, or the water in a swimming pool

A heat pump can heat an apartment or a house, but can also heat the water in your home or your swimming pool.
In addition, reversible heat pumps have the particularity of being able to also be transformed into an air conditioner in order to cool your home during the summer months. A 2 in 1 device which can therefore blow either hot or cold depending on the season.

The different types of heat pump

There are different kinds of heat pumps: air / air, air / water, water / water ... The 1st term designates the place where the pump will draw its energy (in the air, in the ground or in the water) and the second term designates the way in which it will diffuse it to heat (in the form of blown air or water circuits).

Heat pumps can thus be classified into 3 main categories corresponding to the source from which the pump will extract the calories:

Aerothermal heat pump (air / air, air / water)

The heat is captured in the air by the heat pump, which then diffuses it into the house either through the air or through a water circuit. These are the most widespread models because they do not require any work in the ground.

Hydrothermal heat pump (water / water)

The heat is drawn from the water of an underground water table. This heat pump is the most efficient but it requires the presence of a water source in the basement and a very deep borehole to plunge the probe into it.

Geothermal heat pump

The pump extracts the heat naturally present in the ground. To make it work, you must first install a network of tubes underground in sufficient quantity to capture the necessary calories. As with aerothermal heat pumps, the heat can be released via the air or via the water, but underfloor heating is the most recommended for the feeling of comfort.

Split or monobloc heat pump

Depending on the configuration of the installation, we speak of a split or monobloc heat pump.

In the case of a split heat pump , the system is made up of 2 devices: an outdoor unit, which will capture the calories outside, and an indoor unit which will diffuse the heat inside, the 2 parts being naturally connected to make circulate the refrigerant.

The monobloc heat pump , on the other hand, is an all-in-1 device that is positioned outside the home.

Split heat pumps are the most common today. In particular, they make it possible to avoid problems of frost when the temperatures plunge. But they require installation by an approved refrigeration specialist because they involve the handling of refrigerants. Faced with new regulations on fluids, monobloc heat pumps should therefore gain ground in the future, especially since they avoid having to position an unsightly appliance inside the home.

Hybrid heat pump

If you live in a region where the temperature is low in winter, it is more comfortable to opt for a heating system that is not 100% heat pump but rather hybrid. When the mercury plunges, the heat pump can actually have difficulty heating the house sufficiently, and in this case the heat production can switch to a conventional heating system, often gas but other combinations are possible.

How to choose your heat pump

If you hesitate between aerothermal and geothermal heat pump. If you are wondering if you can use a heat pump alone or if you have to combine the heat pump with another type of heater for very cold weather or water heating, then ADEME has produced this useful little summary which should help you see things more clearly:

The main heat pump brands

There are many heat pump manufacturers today. Among the world leaders we can mention: Daikin, Mitsubishi, Fujitsu, Panasonic, Toshiba, Bosch.
There are also major French manufacturers on the heat pump market such as Atlantic, DeDietrich, Frisquet, Auer... and many distributors such as Castorama and Leroy Merlin.

THE DISADVANTAGES OF THE HEAT PUMP AND HOW TO SOLVE THEM

Authorizations required before installing a heat pump

Installing a heat pump on the facade of the building or against the wall of your house requires some preliminary steps.

Permission from the town hall

In order to protect the city's heritage and its visual harmony, the town halls ask that a prior declaration be filed with the town planning department before the installation of a heat pump. All you have to do is print the document available online, fill it out and drop it off at the town hall. The latter has a maximum of one month to respond to you and if it does not respond within this period, it is worth accepting.

The authorization of the copro

If nothing is specified in the co-ownership regulations, you will then have to obtain the agreement of the co-owners via a vote in the GA before installing the heat pump outside your apartment, because its installation normally impacts common areas. To do this, ask the trustee to put this issue on the agenda for the next general meeting so that the vote can take place at that time.
Important clarification: if you are a tenant, it is up to the landlord to carry out these procedures, it is therefore necessary to ask him beforehand.

neighborhood problems

If everyone recognizes the benefits in terms of energy savings of the heat pump, the fact remains that some neighbors take a dim view of the installation of this type of device because of the aesthetic nuisance and mainly noise pollution. We explain below how to make it your business.

Hiding the heat pump:

The heat pump is a bulky and unattractive device, especially the device located outside the home (the outdoor unit). To overcome this drawback, there are suitable boxes, designed to hide the heat pump elegantly.

They make it possible to hide the device while ensuring optimal operation of the heat pump because they are boxes fitted with shutters, designed to let enough air in and out all around the device.
Find out more about the Decoclim heat pump cover .

heat pump cover

Reduce heat pump noise

The operation of the heat pump generates noise, but it is possible to greatly limit the noise pollution thanks to a well-thought-out installation and an anti-noise box adapted to your heat pump.
Read our full article on how to reduce the noise of your air conditioning or heat pump .

Protect your CAP

Often installed outdoors, the heat pump is finally exposed to various risks that can reduce its performance or cause breakdowns. These are meteorological hazards (snow, wind, sun) and possible risks of damage (children's games, animals, vandalism). To protect the device and prolong its life, it is recommended to house it in a suitable safe. For example, it will prevent leaves or branches from slipping into the device and damaging the system.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT FORMWORK FOR YOUR HEAT PUMP

You can find everything on the heat pump cache market. To avoid paying for a useless, poorly designed product or worse a product that would harm the performance of your heat pump, we explain the criteria to check before buying.

A functional heat pump cover

Above all, do not use a fabric cover to conceal your heat pump when it is in operation. The fabric covers sold on the market do not allow air to circulate around the device and therefore only serve to protect the device from dust when your heat pump is not working!
Also beware of chests that are just pierced with small holes. Even many of these holes do not allow sufficient air circulation and will reduce the performance of your heat pump.
If you are looking for a high-performance cover to hide the heat pump, you must opt for a box with large shutters, designed precisely to allow air to circulate and thus allow the heat pump to operate properly.

A robust and decorative material

Heat pump boxes are available in various materials, but not all are created equal. It is advisable to choose a material design but also solid, made up of a material designed to last over time and resist bad weather (and saline atmospheres if you are by the sea).

Among the metal formwork, the most high-end material is of course the aluminum heat pump cover . Both robust and light, it is the material with the best lifespan and resistance (especially compared to steel). And this often translates into a longer manufacturer's warranty on these products (up to 10 years depending on the manufacturer).

wood or aluminum metal heat pump cover

If you prefer a wooden cover for your swimming pool heat pump for a more natural decoration, then pay attention to the class of wood used and its resistance to bad weather. The wood must therefore absolutely be category 4 in order to withstand the rain without rotting (rot-proof wood), like eucalyptus wood in particular.

Ease of installation and removal for maintenance of the heat pump

Most heat pump boxes are delivered as a kit. If you are mounting them, make sure that mounting is easy. Some are assembled in less than 5 minutes and without the need for tools, while others require (a lot) more time and sweat...

In addition, don't forget that you must be able to easily access your heat pump for maintenance, adjustment, etc. So choose a heat pump cover that is not too heavy, which can be installed and removed as easily as a table, if you want to avoid difficulties every time you need to access the device.

A box adapted to the size of the heat pump

There are heat pump covers of all sizes in order to adapt perfectly to all appliance sizes (small, medium, large, very large, XXL, etc.). Measure the maximum height, width and depth of your heat pump and enter these lengths in millimeters in the online tool that we have made available to you, just under the main menu of this site.
This free tool instantly calculates the box model whose size will be best suited to your heat pump.

It is even possible to juxtapose or superimpose several Decoclim boxes in order to hide the view of very large heat pump installations and thus prevent them from disfiguring the landscape.

LEARN MORE: