Air-to-air heat pumps take warmth from the air outdoors, put it through a refrigerant, and use that to warm up the air inside the home. In warmer months, this process can be reversed to provide efficient cooling. 

While most models currently available in the UK don’t provide hot water - a separate hot water heat pump cylinder, heat battery, an electric immersion heater or a point-of-use water heater would be needed for that - they can provide a good solution for smaller properties, flats, and homes currently without, or poorly suited for, traditional central heating. 

Despite their dual ability to keep homes warm in winter and cool in summer, air-to-air heat pumps remain uncommon in the UK. We want to explore the potential of this technology and understand the role it can play in the transition to clean, electrified home heating. 

As the UK electrifies heating and faces rising summer temperatures, air-to-air technology is poised for growth. Our work focuses on evaluating the real-world suitability, practical installation challenges and benefits of these units. 

We are keen to understand the suitability and practical uses of air-to-air pumps for different types of homes, households and heating patterns. We also want to understand more about the potential impact of air-to-air on grid capacity and emissions as they become year-round heating and cooling solutions.