Air to air heat pumps in Ireland
An air to air heat pump costs €3,000–€5,000 installed in Ireland for a single-room unit, or €5,000–€8,000 for a multi-room system. It blows warm air into the room in winter and cool air in summer, and it is the cheapest type of heat pump to buy.
How does an air to air heat pump work?
An outdoor unit takes heat from the outside air. Refrigerant pipes carry it to a wall-mounted unit indoors, which blows warm air into the room. In summer the cycle reverses and the same unit cools the room.
It has a COP of 3.5 to 4.5, meaning that many kWh of heat for every 1 kWh of electricity. Indoors it runs at 19 to 30 dB.
What an air to air heat pump suits
- Home offices and extensions
- Open-plan living areas
- Apartments, especially ones with electric storage heating
- Smaller well-insulated homes, as the main heating
- Homes that overheat in summer and need cooling as well
The trade-offs
- It does not heat your hot water
- A single unit heats only the room it is installed in
- It does not use your radiators
- Each room you want heated needs its own indoor unit
Air to air vs air to water
| Air to air | Air to water | |
|---|---|---|
| Installed cost | €3,000–€5,000 for one room, €5,000–€8,000 multi-room | €9,000–€14,000 |
| Heats | The air in each room | Radiators or underfloor heating |
| Hot water | No | Yes |
| Cooling | Yes | Not through radiators |
| SEAI grant | Up to €9,500 | Up to €14,500 |
You can claim one heat pump grant only, either the air to air grant or the standard one. See the air to air heat pump grant and the full cost breakdown.