Air-to-air heat pumps
An air-to-air heat pump gives you controllable heating and cooling, room by room, from one quiet system. It suits homes where certain rooms are too hot in summer, too cold in winter, or both.
Who this suits
- A bedroom, office or living room that overheats in summer
- A room the central heating never quite reaches
- An extension, loft or garden room that is hard to heat
- Direct-electric heating that feels expensive or hard to control
- Wanting separate temperature control in different rooms
Who it may not suit
- Homes that mainly need a whole-house heating replacement: air-to-water is usually the better route
- Rooms with no sensible position for an outdoor unit nearby
- Rented homes or flats without the owner's or freeholder's permission
Comfort when it’s hot. Heating when it’s cold.
Most people who ask about air conditioning are describing something broader: a room that is unbearable in July and cold in January, with no easy way to control it. An air-to-air heat pump handles both. It is one system that heats and cools, room by room, with its own control in each space.
Where it works best
Bedrooms that overheat under a warm roof. Home offices the central heating forgets. South- and west-facing living rooms. Extensions, loft conversions and garden rooms that were never properly connected to the heating. Homes on direct-electric heating that want better control. If that sounds like your house, this is usually the right conversation to have.
Where it doesn’t
If the real problem is an ageing boiler and a whole house that needs reheating, an air-to-water heat pump is likely the better answer. And if you only need a cooler bedroom on a handful of nights a year, it is worth trying shading and ventilation first. We would rather tell you that than sell you the wrong thing.
Running costs, honestly
An air-to-air heat pump is efficient at heating: it moves heat rather than making it, so each unit of electricity delivers several units of warmth. Cooling, though, is new electricity use if you have no air conditioning today. What it costs depends on how many rooms, how many hours, how well the rooms hold heat, and your tariff. We will talk you through realistic use for your rooms rather than quote an average.
What happens with Ballantyne
We start with a short call about the rooms and the problem, then a simple remote assessment: a few photos or a short video of the rooms and the outside wall. We talk you through the options and an indicative cost, the unit sizes and positions are technically validated, and only then do you get a firm figure. Most installations take a day or two, with no wet plumbing and no replastering.
Start your home assessment and we’ll tell you honestly whether this suits your rooms. If you want to read more first, our guide Can a heat pump cool a house? covers cooling, running costs, noise and planning.
How it works
An air-to-air heat pump moves heat rather than creating it. Outside, a fan draws air over a refrigerant circuit that extracts warmth from it, even on a cold day. That heat is carried indoors and released into the room through a wall-mounted or ceiling unit. In summer the cycle runs in reverse, taking heat out of the room and releasing it outside. One outdoor unit can serve several indoor units, each with its own controls.
Meaningful benefits
- Heating in winter and real cooling in summer from the same units
- Room-by-room control, so you only heat or cool the rooms you use
- Usually a day or two to install, with no wet plumbing
- Discreet indoor units and an outdoor unit sited with you
- Efficient heating: it moves heat rather than burning fuel
What to understand
- It heats and cools the rooms it is fitted in, not the whole house through radiators
- Cooling is new electricity use if you have no air conditioning today
- The outdoor unit needs a sensible position for airflow and noise
- Unit sizes must be confirmed room by room before a firm quote
A clear path from question to decision
- 01
A short call about the rooms and the problem
- 02
A remote assessment: a few photos or a video of the rooms and the outside wall
- 03
A phone or video consultation on the options and indicative cost
- 04
Technical validation of unit sizes and positions
- 05
Your decision, with no chasing
- 06
Installation, commissioning and a walk-through of the controls
Questions
Can it cool as well as heat?
Yes. A reversible air-to-air system provides controlled cooling in summer and heating in winter from the same units.
Is it noisy?
Indoor units make a soft airflow sound. The outdoor unit has a low hum, which is why its position is chosen with noise and neighbours in mind.
What does the indoor unit look like?
Usually a slim wall-mounted unit. Ceiling and floor-level options exist for some rooms. You see the choices before anything is fitted.
Can I have it in just one room?
Yes. A single-room system is a common starting point, and more rooms can often be added later.
Is there a grant?
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme now includes air-to-air heat pumps, but only where the system replaces fossil-fuel heating and is designed to heat the whole home, fitted by an MCS-certified installer. A system added to cool or heat a few rooms alongside your boiler does not qualify.
Do I need planning permission?
Most houses can fit an outdoor unit under permitted development, within size and noise limits. Flats, listed buildings and some conservation areas are different. This is checked before anything is agreed.
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