It is possible to cool with a heat pump. Yet it is not ideal for many reasons. The heat delivery systems are not made for it and, especially in less well-insulated existing buildings, it produces a lot of condensation. As a result, the heat pump is no match for a real air conditioner. But Quatt says it has a solution for that. They are introducing the Quatt Chill early next year. That's an upgrade on the Quatt heat pump, which connects to existing pipes and cools a room as powerfully as an air conditioner.
By his own admission, Quatt wanted from the beginning to have a solution to the problem that to really cool you had to put an air conditioner next to your heat pump. Because cooling with a heat pump is always more like cooling a few degrees. Especially in existing homes, cooling with a heat pump runs into practical problems.
Radiators, floor heating and fan coils
Thus, with ordinary radiators, you get condensation and thus puddles in your room. In addition, radiators are made to distribute heat well, based on the fact that hot water stays on top and cold water sinks away and can be discharged. So that doesn't work if you want to keep cold water in your radiators, because it sinks away immediately. Anyway, radiators cool only a pittance of what an air conditioner can do.
Underfloor heating is more effective, but still not comparable to an air conditioner. This too has to do with condensation, which is why the floor should not get too cold. Especially in existing homes, this is a problem because there is a constant supply of warm, relatively humid air there. If you don't remove that moisture, it may become cooler in the house, but it also becomes more humid, which in turn creates an unpleasant indoor climate.
With fan coils, for example, cooling is much more effective. The fans provide good airflow and thus good output. However, the air still needs to be dried, and so a condensate drain is needed in addition to the supply and return lines. Adding that can still be a costly job.
In new construction homes, it all works just a bit better because they are better insulated, but even there, cooling with a heat pump is only "cooling" by a few degrees relative to the outside temperature. And not comparable to an air conditioner.
The Quatt Chill
Quatt's solution is a unit in your room that connects to the existing pipe at the radiator. This allows the heat to be dissipated as lukewarm water through the heating pipes. The unit works in conjunction with the heat pump. This can be a hybrid heat pump or an all-electric from Quatt. In the latter case, the heat from the room can also be used to fill the heat battery, so you can also use that heat for showering or washing dishes.
In addition, the Chill can be used to heat a room very quickly. The Quatt Chill will be available next spring.
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