What is a heat pump and how does it work?

A heat pump is an electrical device that transfers heat from a colder environment to a warmer one. It is known as a “pump” because it transfers heat in a way similar to a water pump with water. Using this technology, it is therefore possible to heat a building in winter and cool it in summer, as well as to produce the domestic hot water needed in the bathroom and kitchen.
The heat pump is considered to be an environmentally friendly, efficient, and cost-effective technology. In fact, it can transfer up to five times more thermal energy into the environment than the electrical energy consumed for its operation, thus reducing expenses compared to a conventional natural gas or oil boiler.
When powered using electricity from renewable sources - e.g. combined with a photovoltaic system - there are even more environmental and economic benefits.

What types of heat pump are available?

There are different types of heat pump that perform specific functions and use different heat sources (outside air, gas, water, ground heat, solar energy). Here are some of the most common types of heat pump used in the domestic sector:

• Air-to-air heat pump: this takes heat (thermal energy) from the outside air and transfers it to the indoor air to heat and cool rooms. The air-to-air heat pump consists of an external unit (motor) and at least one internal unit (split) for each room. It is commonly used as a domestic heating and air-conditioning system.

• Air-to-water heat pump: this uses thermal energy from the outside air to heat water that then supplies both domestic hot water and the water needed for radiant floor heating systems or radiators.
  The air-water heat pump consists of an external unit and a component called a hydronic module, which can be placed inside or outside the house. Using this technology, it is possible to heat domestic water and manage heating throughout the house, but it can also feed an air conditioning system to cool the air in summer.

These two types are fully electric. There are other types of heat pumps that use other energy sources. Here are some examples:

• Hybrid heat pump: this combines a condensing boiler (also called gas boiler) and a heat pump to heat water and rooms. The hybrid heat pump heats the house using a gas-fired condensing boiler integrated with a heat pump. In this way, it is possible to heat and cool rooms and produce domestic hot water using both systems. It can be adapted to all heating systems, even existing ones such as radiators and floor or ceiling heating.

• Water-to-water heat pump: this uses the thermal energy of groundwater.

• Geothermal heat pump: this uses thermal energy from the ground.

How much does a heat pump consume?

Many factors contribute to determining the consumption of a heat pump in absolute terms, including the climate zone and the degree of heat insulation of the building.

For the same end result, however, a heat pump can reduce energy consumption by up to 50% compared to a conventional heating system or water heater.

Given the process of operation, up to 5 kWh of thermal energy can be transferred into the home with 1 kWh of electricity, using the free, unlimited heat stored in the air, groundwater or soil, which would otherwise go unused.

Are any tax deductions available for the installation of a heat pump?

When installing a heat pump, it is possible to benefit from one of the following tax breaks:

• Ecobonus: This measure, recently extended until the end of 2024, grants a tax deduction of 65% of the amount spent on the installation of advanced thermoregulation systems. The tax credit can be deducted from the tax return in 10 equal annual instalments. Credit assignment and invoice discounting are no longer allowed for work commenced after 16 February 2023.

• Renovation bonus: this grants a tax deduction of 50% of expenditure on energy saving building renovations. The deduction is made by stating the expenditure in the tax return; it must be shared among all the persons entitled and divided into 10 annual instalments of the same amount.

• Superbonus: this allows a tax deduction of 70% for 2024 (expected to fall to 65% in 2025) for specific energy upgrades, provided the upgrade project moves the building up by two energy classes.
  

Alternatively, it is possible to take advantage of the Conto termico, an incentive brokered by GSE (Gestore dei Servizi Energetici) for interventions for interventions to produce thermal energy from renewable sources and for increasing energy efficiency. In this case, there is a direct reimbursement of up to 65% of the amount spent, paid in constant annual instalments (maximum 5 instalments), or in one lump sum if the total reimbursement amount does not exceed €5,000.

How much does a heat pump cost?

As we have seen, although we are always talking about “heat pumps”, these are different products with different functions, and therefore, costs may vary. For example, an air-to-air heat pump starts from a price range of €700 - €900 for entry level models with installation included. The price of an air-water heat pump, on the other hand, is around €8,000 to €10,000, considering standard installation on the customer's system.