Domestic Heat Pump Systems
Heat Pumps – Air to Water (A2W) & Air to Air (A2A)
Thinking about installing a heat pump? You’ve come to the right place.
At Spectra, we take pride in the design and installation of some of the most energy-efficient heating systems available today. Heat pumps are a modern solution that can dramatically reduce your energy consumption while providing reliable heating for your home
How Heat Pumps Work
There are two main types of heat pumps commonly installed in homes. While they differ in how the heat is delivered, both operate using the same basic principle — the refrigeration cycle.
(Insert refrigeration cycle diagram here, ideally one showing a home and radiators etc)
Heat pumps work by absorbing heat from the outside air. Air is blown across a coil containing a refrigerant gas with a very low boiling point, often around -40°C or lower. Because the refrigerant can absorb heat even at extremely low temperatures, the system can still extract energy from the outside air even during cold winter conditions.
This captured heat is then compressed and transferred into your home, providing efficient heating.
COP and SCOP Explained
When looking at heat pump performance, two important figures are COP and SCOP.
COP (Coefficient of Performance) measures the efficiency of a heat pump at a specific moment in time under set conditions. For example, a COP of 4 means that for every 1 kW of electricity used, the heat pump produces 4 kW of heat energy.
SCOP (Seasonal Coefficient of Performance) looks at the average efficiency of the heat pump across an entire heating season, taking into account changing outdoor temperatures and operating conditions throughout the year.
While COP shows how efficient a system can be at a particular point, SCOP provides a more realistic indication of how the system will perform over time in real-world use.
Air-to-Water Heat Pumps (A2W)
Air-to-water heat pumps are typically what homeowners are looking for when replacing an existing gas or oil boiler, or when upgrading their heating system using the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS). The scheme currently offers grants of up to £7,500 for homeowners installing an air source heat pump, helping to significantly reduce the upfront installation cost.
These systems heat water which is then circulated through your radiators, underfloor heating, and hot water cylinder, allowing them to work with most modern central heating systems.
There are two main refrigerant options used in modern air-to-water systems:
R32 Systems
These typically produce water temperatures of around 55°C, making them suitable for well-designed heating systems.
R290 Systems
Newer systems using R290 refrigerant can produce significantly higher water temperatures, often up to 75°C, making them suitable for properties that require higher flow temperatures.
Air to Air Heat Pumps (A2A)
Air-to-air heat pumps are more commonly known as air conditioning systems, but they do far more than simply cool a room.
These systems provide both heating and cooling by directly heating or cooling the air inside your property rather than circulating hot water through radiators.
Air-to-air systems are often:
- Highly energy efficient
- Faster to install
- More cost-effective for certain retrofit properties
- Capable of providing rapid heating and cooling
Most modern systems use R32 refrigerant, which allows efficient operation across a wide temperature range — often from -25°C up to 35°C or higher.
Fully Qualified & Accredited Installers
Spectra Solar is a Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) approved installer, meaning eligible homeowners may be able to access government grants upwards of £7500 towards the installation of an air-to-water heat pump.
We are also MCS certified and F-Gas qualified.
While many air-to-water heat pumps are monoblock systems (factory sealed units), any work involving the refrigerant system — such as compressor replacement or system repairs — requires the refrigerant to be safely removed and recharged using specialist equipment.
Because we hold F-Gas certification, Spectra is fully qualified to carry out this type of work legally and safely. This means we can service, repair, and maintain heat pump systems properly, something many installers without the correct qualifications cannot do.
If you’re considering a heat pump, our team can guide you through the best system for your property, heating requirements, and budget.
Ready to get a quote? Click here
Want to learn more about heat pumps before taking the plunge?
Visit our showroom, where we have multiple heat pumps running in real-world conditions, including a Samsung 16 kW R290 unit currently providing hot water for the offices above.
Our showroom is one of the few places where you can see working heat pumps installed and operating, allowing you to understand exactly how the systems work in a real environment rather than just viewing brochures or diagrams. The showroom is also fully accessible, ensuring disabled visitors and all customers can comfortably view the systems and speak with our team. Click here
Not sure about visiting yet?
Our MD, Mike, has written some helpful guidance explaining how heat pumps work in simple terms, cutting through the jargon so you can understand the technology before making a decision. Click here
Other Elements of an Air-to-Water Heat Pump Installation
Radiator Replacement / Upgrades
Spectra can handle the full replacement or upgrade of your existing radiators, including any associated pipework. Heat pumps typically operate at lower flow temperatures than traditional boilers, so correctly sized radiators are important to ensure your system runs efficiently and keeps your home comfortably warm.
Unvented Cylinder Installation
We can also supply and install a new unvented hot water cylinder specifically matched to your heat pump system. Unlike combi boilers, heat pumps do not produce hot water instantly on demand. Instead, they heat and store water in a cylinder, ensuring you always have pre-heated hot water available for showers, baths, and taps throughout your home.
Underfloor Heating Installation
Thinking about underfloor heating (UFH)? We’ve got you covered. Spectra provides full system design and installation. While installing wet underfloor heating can be a larger project, it works exceptionally well with heat pumps. Because heat is distributed across a much larger surface area, lower flow temperatures can be used, improving system efficiency and overall comfort — plus you get warm floors throughout your home.
Ongoing Maintenance & Repairs
Spectra is fully qualified to maintain, service, and repair heat pump systems. Our team holds the required certifications to safely work on refrigerant systems and internal components.
For larger commercial systems, our sister company Spectra Energy Group also provides specialist support for large heat pumps, HVAC systems, and chillers used in commercial and industrial environments. Learn More click here
Book a Showroom Visit: Click here
Get a Quote: Click here
What Are Heat Pumps (R32 & R290)?
Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHPs) capture heat from outdoor air and transfer it to your home for space heating and hot water — using much less energy than traditional boilers.
R32 Refrigerant
Many modern heat pumps, including Samsung models, use R32 refrigerant. It has a lower Global Warming Potential (GWP) than older gases, helping reduce carbon emissions while delivering efficient performance and hot water up to ~65°C.
R290 is a natural hydrocarbon refrigerant with an extremely low GWP (around 3), making it one of the most environmentally friendly options available. It also supports high hot water temperatures (up to ~75°C), ideal for properties replacing traditional boilers without radiator upgrades.
Why We’re F‑Gas Qualified
We’re fully F‑Gas certified, meaning we are authorised and trained to handle, install, maintain, and service refrigerants safely and legally in the UK. This certification ensures your system is compliant with UK and EU safety and environmental standards.
Heat Pump Efficiency Levels Explained
Heat pumps are rated by efficiency — how much heat they produce compared to the electricity they use.
SCOP (Seasonal Coefficient of Performance): This indicates annual efficiency. A SCOP of 4 means 4 units of heat for 1 unit of electricity. Many modern Samsung units achieve SCOPs around 4.4–4.8+.
Higher SCOP ratings mean lower running costs and better performance year‑round.
Samsung Heat Pump Equipment — Why We Chose It
We install Samsung air source heat pumps because they are:
Highly efficient with strong SCOP performance.
Reliable and quiet, ideal for UK homes with noise limits in residential areas.
Smart controllable, compatible with monitoring apps for performance tracking.
Proven performance across a range of climates and temperature conditions.
Samsung models support both space heating and hot water, running efficiently even in sub‑zero temperatures.
Visit Our Showroom – ASHP on Display
Come visit our renewables showroom to see a working Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) up close. We’ll demonstrate:
Outdoor unit
Connectivity and smart controls
Hot water and heating outputs
Seeing equipment in action helps you make a confident decision.
Radiator Replacement & Upgrades
If your current radiators were designed for gas boilers, they may run at high temperatures (60–70°C). Heat pumps work most efficiently with lower water temperatures (35–45°C), so we offer radiator replacements or upgrades to optimise performance and comfort.
Replacing the Unvented Cylinder
We can also replace your unvented hot water cylinder with a heat pump‑compatible unit when needed — ensuring you get reliable hot water at the right temperatures with your new system.
UK Regulations We Comply With
To ensure safety, performance, and eligibility for government incentives, we comply with all required UK standards:
✔ WRAS Regulations
All products we install are WRAS approved, meaning they meet the UK Water Regulations Advisory Scheme standards for water safety and quality.
✔ MCS Certification
Our installations are MCS certified, which is required for government support schemes like the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and ensures top‑tier renewable performance.
✔ Unvented G3 Regulations
We install and connect unvented hot water systems to the required G3 standards, ensuring safe pressure controls and compliance with UK building regs.
SCOP Efficiency Ratings Defined
SCOP (Seasonal Coefficient of Performance) measures heat pump performance over a full year. Higher SCOP = more heat per unit of electricity. Leading heat pumps can exceed 4.4–4.8 SCOP depending on size and conditions.
Weather Compensation Controls
Modern heat pumps include weather compensation systems that automatically adjust heating output based on outdoor temperatures. This increases comfort and reduces energy use by adapting the flow temperature to match demand.
Heat Pump Servicing & Maintenance
Regular servicing improves efficiency, extends system life, and helps maintain warranty coverage. We offer scheduled maintenance visits, performance checks, refrigerant inspections, and control system updates.
Underfloor Heating Systems
Heat pumps pair exceptionally well with underfloor heating (UFH) because UFH works at lower water temperatures than traditional radiators — which maximises efficiency, comfort, and energy savings across the entire home.
Ready to Learn More or Get a Quote?
For quick queries and bookings, click here: Get A Free Quote.
from first contact with Jonathan to discuss my options of upgrading my current solar system with complementary batteries to the install today from Liam, I can't fault them!!
Jonathan is always available to discuss and help with any questions or queries ad Liam and his buddy did a great job installing them today, left the area clean and tidy and explained the work he'd done.
Wouldn't hesitate in recommending Spectra Solar to anyone looking to help reduce your energy costs. 👏
Roofing lads Brett and Brook arrived just after 8am and the electrician Liam about 9 who went through everything with me.
The whole team were a credit to the company. Everything was left clean and tidy after installation and a full explanation of how the system app worked.
Post and pre install comms from Kurt was and is still excellent. No issues to report. All documents sent through straight after payment.
Really pleased with whole process.
14 panels
Hanchu battery and invertor. All neat and tidy.
From inital contact there's no hard sell, no pressure, but plenty of advice. Having contemplated solar for a few months, I'd done plenty of research. Being local to their offices, the wife and I arranged to pop in to their showroom.
Again no pressure, no hard sell, but very knowledgeable, backing up I'd gleaned from my research.
Mike turned up to conduct the survey as arranged, I wanted to be clear on what to expect and if there were any issues, and Mike made suggestions on how to install the equipment in the garage without damaging the pre-fab concrete.
We agreed on the trench location between the house and garage to prevent damage to the new driveway - Important as the scaffolders errected their scaffold right over the area, luckily I was at home when they came to errect it and they managed to position the two legs so not to be in the way.
Installation day, the lads rocked up just after 8am on a frosty January morning, Tea, Coffee & biscuits were welcomed by them, they simply just got on with it. I was sceptical they'd get it done in the day, but the roofing team were done by mid afternoon, leaving the electricians to connect and commission the system. That was all done around 5pm.
The installation in the garage with Uni-Strut is tidy, they routed the DC cables through the soffit, from the loft space - I was expecting a hole through the wall. The internal consumer unit is tidy, and there's been no issues since the install.
I can't wait for the sunnier weather, as despite the rain & fog recently the system's already impressed me with it's generation quite offten the base load is solely from PV.
Right from the start i noticed how excellent Mike was at communication. It is clear that he is an experts in this field, but they took the time on numerous occasions to talk me through the various options and tweak to match my needs or requests. All of this was done in language and terminology that I could understand. Once I was happy for the order to go ahead, Spectra Solar Ltd team delivered on the promised date for the setup of my installation of system.
On the day the team consisted of Jordan, Brett and Wayne. I was very much impressed on how they performed their task in a professional, neat yet thorough manner and were very much approachable and considerate of my needs. I can’t fault their workmanship (top notch). My system consists of 11 solar panels, 7.2kwh battery and 3.6 inverter. To my surprise the job only lasted a day.
Another important factor for me was that Spectra Solar Ltd ask for no upfront payments and the final payment could be paid on card, which was a positive for me.
Overall a super experience 😁
Thank you Mike, Emma, Jordan, Brett and Wayne.
I’m a bit of a geek about this stuff. So I did plenty of shopping around, and this is what I found:
-- Some installers talked a good talk, but were also very expensive and pushy.
-- Some were competitively priced, but I wouldn’t trust them with my property.
-- Spectra came to me as a recommendation, which I’m glad I listened to!
Spectra provided decent kit, at a competitive price. But perhaps the most important to me, was that they were 10/10 knowledgeable, trustworthy and professional...
With an investment like this, you won’t find a better service!
I got a 7kW inverter, 10kW battery, 18 panels and a manual-changeover switch… It’s been performing very well!
Before installation:
-- Spectra did a great job of helping me choose the best kit to suit my property and budget.
-- They were very knowledgeable and patient in answering all of my questions / concerns.
During installation:
-- The roofers did a great, tidy job of the panel installation and cabling.
-- The electricians did a great job of the inverter, battery & changeover installation, keeping it all neat and tidy.
After installation:
-- They continued to help me with the paperwork and make sure the app / monitoring is working smoothly.
Thank you!
We obtained a few quotes from different companies but these guys really shone through! Far more knowledgeable and customer focused than others, they went above and beyond from the initial quotation until commissioning. Installation was completed within a day and as an electrician and previously a solar installer myself, I can say the quality of workmanship is 5*
Wouldn't hesitate in recommending Spectra to anyone wanting solar and battery storage installed on their property.
After contacting them to agree to go ahead with the installation, a survey was quickly dealt with by one of their agents. He was extremely knowledgeable and friendly, quickly helped identify where things would be installed and how things on the day would go.
The office team dealt with everything very quickly and kept us informed about what was going on and what we needed to do.
On the day of the install the team showed up around 8am and where done around 5pm. The were very friendly and professional and I couldn't praise them more.
After sales were great, there was a slight issue with the inverter which was dealt with the same day I contacted them.
Honestly, I cannot praise this company enough and would recommended them to everyone.
Even got my parents to use them for their own install.
Highly recommended.
I had three companies come and visit me all of which were local to me and from Yorkshire (normally a must for me).... then I rang Spectra and the friendly voice on the phone put me through to Jonathan.
All I can say is that from that moment I felt that Jonathan placed me in safe hands - he guided me through the process and it became pretty clear that two of the three quotes I'd had were very much focused on getting a quick install and ease for them - not what was right for me.
Jonathan and his team did an amazing job - they explained everything, gave me the options I wanted and did exactly as they said they would - on time for the scaffolding, the installation took two days and the monitoring was a breeze.
A full set of documents came through one week after the installation was complete and I feel very grateful for having selected Spectra rather than some of my friends who had selected companies not as honest (and some not in business anymore).
I had 16 solar panels installed on a slate roof, with bird and vermin protection, in the loft was an inventor by Lux and 3 x 3.2kw batteries then an external fuse box in white to match the electricity and gas boxes - perfect!
The icing on the cake was the tree certificate I received today which was a really nice gesture to show how much they care for the customer and the environment.
Highly recommended and I will be using them again when I change to an electric vehicle and to add more batteries at a later stage!
From start to finish Jonathan and the team have been amazing. The installation team where very friendly and tidy, also considerate as on the day of install, unfortunetly, I had a family funeral to attend in the afternoon. They was accommodating, and went through all questions they would have needed answers for throughout the day all in the morning instead, explained everything. Upon my return in the late afternoon, the job was completed to high standards.
It is a big expensive soalr panels and battery storage, but I can assure you, I felt 100% in safe hands throughout the entire processes.
Thank you again all, best regards, Dan & Jen
Most companies were quite sales based and you couldn't always get the answers you wanted, or you got an answer and you weren't convinced. Then we came across Spectra - I hadn't initially seen them as they weren't in our immediate area.
From first contact with Spectra, Jonathan was on the phone, with technical detail, for as long as you needed, giving ideas and suggestions. There was no hard sell or sales pitch, just advice - so refreshing - and great value too. And they really knew what they were talking about.
We had 5.88kW of panels installed alongside 19.2Kwh of battery storage, plus an Eddi to take some excess power to the hot tank.
They turned up when they said they would, Jordan & team didn't stop all day, did a really tidy job and cleaned up after themselves.
The system is outperforming the guidance output, and is giving us lots of free electricity and hot water. Since it was put in 6 days ago, we've spent about 25p on actual electric and not had to heat the hot tank with the gas boiler at all. The Lux app & web portal monitoring are excellent.
Spectra are also really responsive and helpful for anything you need - a great company and would not hesitate to recommend!
Firstly, I chose Spectra Solar as they were so helpful and got back to me with any queries or questions I had.
Their pricing was excellent in comparison to others with no pressure to sign up at all as they aren't sales people, just very helpful.
My bills for both gas and electricity in 2021/22 were about £1,400 before the panels were installed.
After the installation and for the year 2022/23 they have been £1,825, bearing in mind I would of paid about £2,800 (estimated, but could easily be higher), especially as the daily charge has gone up so much (about £200 for the year) as well as the cost of the electricity and gas.
I include gas as the iboost helps to heat my hot water tank instead of the gas boiler, so I save on some gas.
I will be getting a cheque back from what I've exported of £400 from Eon as they are now paying 16.5 pence per Kw/H.
Therefore, I calculate I've saved about £1,375 in the first year, which I'm very happy with.
I would highly recommend Spectra Solar.
Below was my review from a year ago.
I had my solar panels, batteries and iboost fitted today and it all looks very tidy and professional. Well done to all the fitters, who were very polite and got on with the job.
From first sending my enquiry to Spectra Solar, Mike and Emma in the office got in touch with me straight away. I was very impressed how quickly they responded to any questions and were available to speak too.
The prices on their website made comparing quotes easy, and they were better value than some other companies I contacted.
After agreeing I would go ahead, they sent someone out to make sure all was ok before the system was installed.
Within a short timeframe a date was arranged and they came when they said they would.
It’s been hassle free and I am very pleased with the service they have provided.
Well done to all at Spectra Solar, and yes, I would recommend them to anyone.
Within a day the whole system was up and running. Even though I did have a fault with my inverter 1 week later (just a dodgy unit..which I've been told is only 1 of 3 out of the hundreds they have installed), within 48 hours of me contacting them (on the weekend) I had a brand new inverter installed within 30 minutes. No quibble, no fuss.
I really cannot rate these guys high enough. Do not go with a big national company. You are just another number to them. Go with Spectra Solar and you will not be disappointed as they actually career about their customers.
Thanks very much guys.
After accepting the proposal a date was agreed. The team arrived on time and had the system up and running in about 6hrs.
I would recommend this company to anyone.
I would highly recommend Spectra Solar.
Arrived on time even though I live a distance away.
Truly a proffessional team, hard working and motivated.
Best of all, no rip off quotes.
No upfront payments, which thier competitors wanted between 10% and 50%.
Overall a great experience.
If you want quality work at very competitive prices look no further.
Recommended to all...
Brian and Mandy Prestatyn.
