Vian C5 Plus HP VP501 Heat Pump From £1399.00

A Vian Power Air Source Heat Pump can be up to 75% more energy efficient than a
standard hot tub heater. Simply put, they produce more heat (energy) than they use
in electricity (energy). Not only is this a far more cost-effective solution to heat your hot tub or swim spa, but a C5 Plus HP VP501 is also much more eco-friendly option.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF TECHNOLOGY

ON/OFF heat pumps. When ‘on’, these models will draw a constant amount of power to operate, they can be considered to always be at maximum power when working. INVERTER models have the benefit of being able to have their power consumption varied and, in some cases, this is done smartly by the machine itself based on the ambient temperature and heating demand. Sometimes referred to as stepped inverter, these models may have stages or steps of power use. Step 1 for example would be a very low power mode, step 3 a medium power use and step 5 would be full power. They also have the added benefit of being quieter than an ON/OFF heat pump.

FULL DC INVERTER models can regulate the power consumption over a much more fluid range so rather than steps or stages of power draw like a stepped inverter machine, they can vary the power they consume across their whole range. This technology makes full DC inverter heat pumps the most efficient types of machine over the long term. Full DC Inverter models are also very quiet.

By using far less energy than traditional heating methods, an air source heat pump is not only good for the environment but will save hot tub and swim spa owners a considerable amount of money. It is no wonder why hundreds of owners are opting to have an air source heat pump fitted to their hot tub or swim spa.

HOW DOES AN AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMP WORK?

The fan in the air source heat pump draws air over a network of tubes that look a little like a car radiator. These tubes are filled with an eco-friendly R32 refrigerant. The air then passes over the tubes warming up the refrigerant and turning it from a liquid into a gas. This gas is passed through a compressor which increases the pressure and significantly raises the temperature of the gas, which is then passed through a titanium heat exchanger.

The swim spa or hot tub’s water circulation system is plumbed through the air source heat pump and the heat from the gas travels through the heat exchanger, which in turn heats the water from the hot tub or swim spa as it passes over it. The refrigerant then cools and turns back into a liquid and starts the process all over again.

Due to how the system works, our air source heat pumps will still produce heat even if the ambient air temperature is below zero as the compression process of the refrigerant gas creates alot of heat.

Not only is this a far more cost-effective solution to heat your hot tub or swim spa, but it is also a much more eco-friendly option.

The chart above shows the kWh used by the heat pump to maintain the set point of 40°C. The test period
is for 31 days between the 8th Dec 2022 and the 7th January 2023.
This was an ideal test period as the beginning of the test on the 8th Dec 2022 the UK experienced a very
cold spell with temperatures dropping several degrees below zero.
Figure 1 shows the recorded temperature on the 10th of Dec 2022 of -3.1°C and the chart shows the
kWh usage of 5.62kWh. Compared to figure 2 showing the temperature for the 4th of Jan 2023 being
11.5°C the kWh usage reduced to only 1.66 kWh.
The total kWh used by the heat pump over this period was 116.21 and this equates to an average of 3.75
kWh per day. As the ambient temperature rises, we can easily see that the efficiency of the heat pump
increases significantly.

Test Location is Chichester, West Sussex, UK. – All figures are just relating to the heating. – The hot tub is outdoors and not under a gazebo or shelter.
The electric heater is disconnected so all heating is supplied by the heat pump only. We are testing a Vian 7kW S7 Plus Air Source Heat Pump.
The heat pump is set to boost mode. The hot tub is a mid-specification model of approx 1550 litres of water. The hot tub is set to heat to 40°C.
We have used an older cover for these tests that is slightly waterlogged (to mimic real world) The pipes to the heat pump are not insulated.
The heat pump is within 1 metre of the hot tub. (The hot tub has economy cycles set as follows: Tub goes into economy from 10.00pm to 10.00am, so
does not heat for 12 hours overnight, 7 days per week. Then a second economy mode from 1.00pm to 4.00pm it also won’t heat)

Vian C5 Plus HP VP501 – How It Works

Low Cost Hot Tub Heating.

This relationship between the power used by the heat pump and the heat it generates is referred to as Coefficient of Performance (CoP). For example, if a heat pump has a CoP of 8, then it will produce 8 x units of heat for every one unit of electricity consumed. The electric heater in a hot tub or swim spa is known as a resistance heater. And is very much like the element in a kettle. This resistance heater can only ever have a CoP of 1. This means for every 1 x kilowatt of power used by the electric heater then only 1 x kilowatt of heat is produced. If compared with a standard electric heater in a hot tub, then we can easily see that an air source heat pump is a far more efficient. Therefore a more costeffective way of heating your hot tub or swim spa. This is because using the example CoP of 5. For every 1 kilowatt of power consumed by the heat pump 5 x kilowatts of heat are produced. The CoP of an air source heat pump will vary depending on the ambient temperature and the mode function set on the air source heat pump. If you would like to reduce the electric used by your hot tub a Vian Air C5 Plus HP VP501 Heat Pump is the solution.