Uses for Heat Pumping Technologies
Heat pumps have a wide variety of uses and applications – they are used across a range of sectors and building types.
In the built environment, they provide heating and cooling for single-family homes, multi-family residences, commercial buildings, as well as cities and communities. They can also play a central role in district heating and cooling systems, which distribute thermal energy to multiple buildings from a centralized source.
In industrial settings, heat pumps are applied to transfer heat between process streams, recover waste heat, and improve overall energy efficiency.
Beyond buildings and industry, heat pump technologies are also used in white goods to reduce their energy consumption as in electric vehicles, where they help regulate cabin temperature.
Heat Pump Types and Energy Sources
Heat pumps operate by extracting heat from natural or technical sources—such as outdoor air, ground (soil or bedrock), or water (including lakes, rivers, groundwater, and industrial wastewater)—and transferring it to where it is needed. The heat can be released into indoor air, water-based heating systems, district heating networks, or industrial processes.
The most commonly used heat pump types in buildings include:
- Air-to-air heat pumps – transfer heat from outdoor air to indoor air.
- Air-to-water heat pumps – extract heat from air and deliver it to water-based systems.
- Ground-source heat pumps – use heat from the ground or groundwater.
- Ground-source heat pumps – transfer ground heat to indoor air.
In industrial applications, heat pumps are designed to meet more complex and higher-temperature demands. Common configurations include:
- Liquid/water-to-liquid/water heat pumps
- Air/gas-to-liquid/water heat pumps
- Liquid/water-to-air/gas heat pumps
- Air/gas-to-air/gas heat pumps
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