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Heat pumps: Your questions answered

Making sense of heat pumps starts here. Clear, simple answers to your most frequently asked questions about heating, cooling, and efficiency.

The air-to-air heat pump indoor unit is the part of an air-to-air heat pump system that’s located within the home, and provides the conditioned air into the space.

The choice of an air-to-air heat pump indoor unit depends on your specific needs but it's important to understand how the system works as a whole. There are different air-to-air heat pump systems (also known as air conditioners), each with its own unique characteristics. One of the most popular types used in homes is a split system, which is split into two units: one indoors and one outdoors. While heating, the outdoor unit extracts heat from the outside air and transfers it inside via the indoor unit, or reverse when cooling your home.


There are three types of air-to-air heat pump indoor units:

Wall-mounted units

Wall-mounted models (Stylish, Ururu Sarara, Daikin Emura, Perfera,) come in different sizes and colours to match with your interior.

Floor-standing units

Floor-standing models (Perfera Floor) are compact air conditioner that fit perfectly under a window sill or in a room where the height is limited.

Concealed ceiling units

Concealed ceiling units. If you don't want a visible indoor unit, a concealed air-to-air heat pump can be installed in suspended ceilings or false walls.

There are three options for the placement of the indoor unit of an air-to-air heat pump (also known as air conditioner):

A wall-mounted unit

A wall-mounted unit is ideally positioned above a door or centrally placed in a room. To provide the best comfort, it is not recommended to place the unit above a sofa, the head of the bed or a large closet. This will ensure the airflow can be distributed evenly throughout the room.

A floor-standing unit

A floor-standing unit can be installed underneath a window to avoid that the airflow is blocked. The unit should also not be blocked by furniture to ensure air flows evenly around the room.

A concealed ceiling unit

A concealed ceiling unit is installed in a false ceiling and therefore offers more flexibility thanks to its compact design as only the grilles are visible. The area around the vent should not be blocked by furniture and ideally not directly above a sofa or the head of the bed to ensure optimal comfort.

An air-to-air heat pump (also known as an air conditioner) is typically composed of two units: The indoor and outdoor unit. These are usually called ‘split’ systems.

The split outdoor unit, mounted on an exterior wall or positioned in a garden or on a roof, is the part of an air-to-air heat pump that contains the compressor, propeller fan, circuit board and heat exchanger. The outdoor unit compresses the refrigerant that extracts or emits heat or cold in the room to or from its companion indoor unit.

For your heat pump to function as it should, it is essential that the system is installed correctly. Only an authorised technician should carry out the installation and in a suitable location. The surface must be firm enough to withstand the weight and vibrations of the unit and there must also be sufficient space for airflow and for connecting pipes and power cables. Any plants or shrubs that may be located near your heat pump should be at least a metre away and regularly pruned. The pump should also be installed in a place that’s easy to access for services and other general maintenance.

We often get asked why we can’t put the heat pump inside. Could they not be placed in the loft or conservatory? The answer to this is no. This is because, after a few hours, the heat pump will have extracted all of the warmth from the trapped air, effectively turning this space into a freezer. This is why air-to-air heat pumps need access to the free-flowing outside air.

NOT TRUE

The DAIKIN Air conditioner are super low in noise and the air movements are hardly noticeable.

Convince yourself and visit one of our experience centers.

NOT TRUE

The Daikin Air conditioner are highly efficient. For every four units of energy provided in your home from the heat pump, three units comes for ‘free’ from the air and one unit comes from the electrical grid. Air conditioner are about four times more efficient compared to electric heaters or boilers.

TRUE

Electricity prices are currently higher than gas or oil prices. That’s why four times more efficient does not mean four times lower bills. You can check the savings on our calculator: Start now!

NOT TRUE

An air-to-air heat pump is perfectly designed to provide comfortable and low carbon heat in winter.

In Nordic countries such as Sweden and Norway, there’s a long tradition of using air–to-air heat pumps for heating purposes. However, proper sizing is needed to make sure the product is well fit for your home: Start now!

No, they don't! However, a Daikin air-to-air heat pump (“air conditioning”) can relieve the symptoms of allergies. There are various filters in all Daikin air conditioning systems: odour filters with titanium apatite, silver-based allergen filters and/or flash streamers. These filters remove most of the dust and bacteria from the air. When the air conditioning system is properly maintained and cleaned regularly, these filters ensure clean and healthy air in the room.

Yes, an air-to-air heat pump (also known as an air conditioner) can bring hot water to your home. With Daikin's Multi+ solution, heating, cooling and hot water are supplied with one system. It connects up to three units and one domestic hot water tank and is compatible with a 90 and 120-litre tank and a wide range of indoor units, offering unrivalled flexibility. Our Multi+ solution includes an intuitive full-text display on the domestic hot water tank for monitoring and adjustment of all settings, including scheduling and water temperature.

Daikin's air conditioner can give you relief from your allergies because they can capture the allergens in the air conditioner filter and improve the quality of air that you are breathing. Not only do our air conditioners keep you warm and cool but they are also removing pollutants, pollen and particle matter from your breathing space.

Some Daikin units are also equipped with a Flash Streamer and different filters like the titanium apatite deodorising filter or the silver allergen removal filter, which are able to reduce the pollutants in the air quickly and efficiently.

Yes, and if you renovate your property and switch to renewable air-to-air heat pumps, you will add value to your renovated home, the environment and your pocket. Heat pumps can be installed in almost any home. There are, however some considerations that may need to be addressed, particularly regarding insulation. In order for a heat pump to function at its most efficient, your home needs to be well-insulated to prevent as much heat from escaping as possible. A suitably qualified heating engineer can advise you on what needs to be done in your home in order for it to be appropriate for a heat pump system. This might include upgrading the insulation of your walls and roof. You also need to consider location. The outdoor unit will need to be installed outside your home and should be in a place that you can access easily when you need to clean the unit, adjust its settings or have the heat pump serviced.

It is important to differentiate between servicing and cleaning. Air conditioner maintenance and cleaning can be done by the user, while servicing must be carried out by a professional engineer.

Check your air conditioner manual and follow any instructions it provides on air conditioner cleaning.

  • Clean the air supply and return grilles/louvres with a damp cloth and make sure they’re not blocked.
  • Filters can usually be removed and cleaned simply by vacuuming or washing with a bit of lukewarm soapy water.
  • Clean the outdoor unit, gently hose it down to remove dirt and brush it to clear cobwebs. Ensure bits of plants and leaves that may have gathered or have been sucked in the back of the coil are removed. Take care to not damage the fins.
  • Beware – the fins on the coils are very sharp. We recommend using the correct personal protective equipment including gloves.
  • Do NOT use gasoline, benzene, thinner polishing powder or liquid insecticide.
  • Do NOT use water or air that is 40°C or higher.
  • Do NOT use polishing compounds.
  • Do NOT use a scrubbing brush.

We advise having a service done by a qualified engineer once a year. Scheduled servicing, regular maintenance spot-checks and routine cleaning of the system will extend its lifespan and maintain its energy efficiency.

Here are some signs your air conditioner needs immediate maintenance:

If your air conditioner unit makes more noise than usual, the filters may be clogged. Clean the unit by removing dust with a vacuum cleaner. If the same noise persists or you hear a gurgling sound, there could be a mechanical issue. A qualified technician should then be called to examine the unit.