Yes. It’s the bit most people don’t realise until we tell them. The split air conditioning units we fit are reversible heat pumps, so the same unit that cools your bedroom in July will heat it in January, and it does it efficiently. For a conservatory, a loft room, a garden office or anywhere your central heating doesn’t quite reach, that makes air conditioning a year-round system rather than something you use for a few weeks of summer. We fit them across Bristol and Bath, and you can see the units on our air conditioning page. Here’s how it works and where it makes sense.
How air conditioning heats
In cooling mode, the unit pulls heat out of your room and pushes it outside.
In heating mode, it simply runs the other way. The outdoor unit pulls heat out of the outside air, even when it feels cold out there, and the refrigerant carries it inside, where the indoor unit releases it into the room.
Because it’s moving heat rather than making it, it uses a lot less electricity than an electric heater to give you the same warmth.
Does it work when it’s freezing?
Yes, though it works hardest in the coldest weather. Modern units keep heating well below freezing, and our winters are mild enough that it’s rarely a problem.
When it’s very cold and damp, frost can build up on the outdoor unit. It’ll go into a short defrost cycle now and then to clear it. You might notice the indoor unit pause for a few minutes and some steam from the outdoor unit. That’s normal.
Air conditioning vs a heat pump
People ask us this a lot. The honest answer is that a split air conditioner is a heat pump, an air-to-air heat pump. It heats the air in a room directly.
What most people mean by a “heat pump” is an air-to-water heat pump. That heats water for your radiators and hot water cylinder, in place of a boiler.
Air-to-air (split air conditioning)
Heats and cools. Works room by room. Doesn’t do your hot water. Quick to fit, usually in a day for one room. Great for single rooms or as a top-up to your main heating.
Air-to-water
Heats only, through your radiators or underfloor heating, and does your hot water too. Replaces your boiler. A much bigger job, and it usually works best in well-insulated homes, sometimes with bigger radiators.
Is there a grant?
Not for the kind of job most people want. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme in England and Wales does include £2,500 towards an air-to-air heat pump, but only when it replaces a gas or oil boiler as your main heating, and it has to be fitted by an MCS-certified heat pump installer.
We fit air conditioning to heat and cool the rooms you need, alongside your central heating, not as a replacement for it. So the grant doesn’t apply. If you’re looking at replacing your whole heating system with a heat pump, check the current rules on GOV.UK.
Where heating with air con makes the most sense
Conservatories and garden rooms. Too hot in summer, freezing in winter. Air conditioning fixes both. See our page on air conditioning for conservatories.
Loft conversions. Often the furthest point from the boiler, with radiators that never get properly hot.
Home offices. Heat the one room you’re sitting in all day, without running the whole house’s heating.
Extensions. Where the original heating system wasn’t sized for the extra space.
Bedrooms. Cool in summer, a quick warm-up on a cold morning.
Using air conditioning for heating in Bristol and Bath
Our mild, damp winters suit heat pumps well. Days that are just above freezing are exactly when a split system heats efficiently.
A lot of the homes we fit in, from Bristol terraces with loft conversions to Bath houses with chilly garden rooms, have one or two rooms the boiler never quite keeps warm. Air conditioning is often a neater fix than adding radiators.
Frequently asked questions
Is heating with air conditioning cheaper than gas?
It depends on the price you pay for gas and electricity, and on how efficient your boiler and your air conditioner are. For heating a single room, it’s often similar to or cheaper than gas, and much cheaper than a plug-in electric heater. For the whole house, gas central heating usually still makes more sense for most homes.
Can air conditioning replace my central heating?
In a small, well-insulated flat, a couple of well-placed units can sometimes heat the whole home. In most houses, though, it works best alongside your central heating, not instead of it. Remember it doesn’t do your hot water either, so you’d still need a boiler, cylinder or another way to heat water.
Does it dry the air out in winter?
Not much in heating mode. It’s in cooling mode that air conditioning removes moisture from the air. Some people do find warm moving air feels a bit drier. If it bothers you, lowering the fan speed helps.
Want to heat a cold room?
Ring us on 01275 400 687 or get in touch online and we’ll come out for a free survey.