Heat pumps

A heat pump generates 3–5 kW of heat for every 1 kW of electricity consumed. This is not a miracle of physics—it is simply a refrigeration cycle running in reverse. The Altek.ua catalog features heat pumps for home heating, domestic hot water (DHW), and swimming pools, all backed by an official warranty and delivery across Ukraine.

Advantages of Heat Pumps

While a gas boiler burns fuel to create heat, a heat pump transfers existing heat from the outside air or ground into your heating system. For every kilowatt of electricity consumed, it delivers 3–5 kW of thermal energy.

In terms of cost: at a tariff of 5 UAH/kWh, the cost of 1 kWh of heat will be just 1–1.7 UAH with a heat pump, compared to 3–4 UAH when using a standard electric boiler.

Savings compared to gas depend on current tariffs, but at modern gas prices, a heat pump often pays off starting from its very first year of operation. Furthermore, if the system is powered by solar panels, the cost of heat drops even lower. In this setup, the heat pump essentially runs on free solar energy: the panels generate electricity, and the pump converts it into heat with a COP (Coefficient of Performance) of 3 to 5.

Additional benefits include:

• No gas infrastructure needed: Eliminates the need for a gas pipeline, bureaucratic gas projects, or annual burner inspections.
• Year-round climate control: Features a reversible mode to provide cooling like an air conditioner during summer.
• Low maintenance: Does not require annual burner servicing—only filter replacements and a refrigerant check every few years.
• Long service life: Lasts 15–20 years under normal operating conditions.
• Eco-friendly: Zero open flames and zero $CO_2$ emissions when powered by renewable energy sources.

Note: The ultimate efficiency of a heat pump directly depends on how well the house is insulated and whether the heating system has been properly designed.

How Heat Pumps Work

In the outdoor unit, a refrigerant evaporates at low temperatures, absorbing heat from the surrounding air. A compressor then compresses this vapor, causing its temperature to rise sharply. Inside the indoor heat exchanger, the hot refrigerant condenses, transferring its heat to your home’s heating system or hot water supply. The cycle then repeats. This entire process only consumes electricity to run the compressor and fan—the ambient heat itself is taken from the air for free.

The Coefficient of Performance (COP) is the ratio of heat output to electrical power consumption:

• At an outdoor temperature of +7°C and a heating system supply temperature of +35°C, a typical air-to-water heat pump operates at a COP of 3.5–4.5.
• At –10°C outdoors and +45°C supply, the COP drops to around 2.2–2.8. The pump is still more cost-effective than an electric boiler, though the margin narrows in severe frost.

Integration with Solar Power Plants (SPP):

Solar panels generate electricity during the day, which the heat pump uses to heat up a thermal buffer tank. At night, the house is warmed by this stored heat without drawing power from the grid. This is currently the most economical private home heating scheme available on the Ukrainian market.

Types of Heat Pumps and Their Features

• Air-to-Water: The most popular type in Ukraine (making up 90%+ of residential installations). The outdoor unit extracts heat from the air and transfers it to a water circuit for heating or DHW. It requires no excavation work and operates efficiently down to –20°C…–25°C.
• Air-to-Air: Functionally similar to an inverter air conditioner with an advanced heating mode. It is cheaper to install but cannot provide hot water or support underfloor heating. This option is ideal for apartments or homes with pre-installed air duct systems.
• Pool Heat Pumps: A specialized category designed to heat swimming pool water with an impressive COP of 5–10 during the warm season. The Altek catalog features the Pool series designed for water volumes ranging from 20 to 100 $m^3$.
• Geothermal (Ground-to-Water): Delivers a stable COP of 4–6 year-round, completely independent of the weather. However, it requires drilling boreholes or laying horizontal ground loops. This system is best suited for large properties with ample land area.

How to Choose a Heat Pump

To select the right system, we recommend evaluating the following key criteria:

1. Heating Capacity: For a well-insulated house, a solid rule of thumb is 1 kW per 10 $m^2$ (e.g., a 150 $m^2$ house requires a 12–15 kW pump to ensure a buffer for extreme frosts). For older, uninsulated homes, the requirement increases to 1.5–2 kW per 10 $m^2$. Altek specialists provide free, precise heat loss calculations.
2. Supply Temperature: Underfloor heating operates at 30–40°C, while traditional radiators require 50–60°C. The lower the required supply temperature, the higher the COP. This makes underfloor heating and a heat pump the perfect pair.
3. Climate Class: For the Ukrainian climate, reliable operation at sub-zero temperatures is essential. Altek inverter models maintain their heating efficiency down to –25°C.
4. Refrigerant Type: R32 is the most common and efficient refrigerant in modern mass-produced models. R290 (propane) is even more eco-friendly with a lower global warming potential, though it comes with specific installation placement regulations for residential spaces.
5. Noise Level: If the outdoor unit is to be installed near a bedroom window or a neighbor’s fence, look for quiet models rated below 45–48 dBA.

Why Buy a Heat Pump from Us?

At Altek, you can purchase a heat pump complete with an official warranty, professional installation, and delivery throughout Ukraine. Your order will be shipped rapidly from our warehouses in Dnipro or Kyiv. Our company handles the entire project from scratch: engineering calculations, equipment selection, turnkey installation, and long-term maintenance.

Up-to-date pricing for all heat pumps is always available in our catalog. To get a free engineering calculation tailored to your property, simply leave a request or request a callback on our website.