Ambient loop heat pump system
BG 34/2021, The Illustrated Guide to Renewable Technologies, 2nd edition, written by Michelle Agha-Hossein and David Bleicher and published by BSRIA in 2021, states: ‘An ambient loop heat pump system, also known as a water loop heat pump system, consists of a network of pipes that distribute water around the building at close to indoor ambient temperature. Each room or zone has one or more terminal units which are in effect small water-to-air heat pumps. These use the ambient loop as a heat source when heating is required in that zone or as a heat sink when cooling is required in that zone. This enables heat recovery – heat rejected from zones that require cooling is effectively recycled to zones that require heating. Simultaneous demand for heating and cooling in the same building is common – for example when one side of a building is subject to solar gain but the other side isn’t, or when there is heat loss through walls and windows of rooms around the perimeter of the building but heat gain from people and equipment in rooms at the core of the building.’
--BSRIA
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- Absorption heat pump.
- Air source heat pumps.
- Earth-to-air heat exchangers.
- Exhaust air heat pump.
- Ground source heat pumps.
- Heat pump.
- How to correctly size an ambient loop heat network using diversity factors.
- Hybrid heat pump electric panel heating.
- Room-based heat pumps.
- Solar-assisted heat pump.
- Water source heat pumps.
Featured articles and news
National Apprenticeship Week 2026, 9-15 Feb
Shining a light on the positive impacts for businesses their apprentices and the wider economy alike.
Applications and benefits of acoustic flooring
From commercial to retail.
From solid to sprung and ribbed to raised.
Strengthening industry collaboration in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Institute of Construction and The Chartered Institute of Building sign Memorandum of Understanding.
A detailed description fron the experts at Cornish Lime.
IHBC planning for growth with corporate plan development
Grow with the Institute by volunteering and CP25 consultation.
Connecting ambition and action for designers and specifiers.
Electrical skills gap deepens as apprenticeship starts fall despite surging demand says ECA.
Built environment bodies deepen joint action on EDI
B.E.Inclusive initiative agree next phase of joint equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) action plan.
Recognising culture as key to sustainable economic growth
Creative UK Provocation paper: Culture as Growth Infrastructure.
Futurebuild and UK Construction Week London Unite
Creating the UK’s Built Environment Super Event and over 25 other key partnerships.
Welsh and Scottish 2026 elections
Manifestos for the built environment for upcoming same May day elections.
Advancing BIM education with a competency framework
“We don’t need people who can just draw in 3D. We need people who can think in data.”
Guidance notes to prepare for April ERA changes
From the Electrical Contractors' Association Employee Relations team.
Significant changes to be seen from the new ERA in 2026 and 2027, starting on 6 April 2026.
First aid in the modern workplace with St John Ambulance.
Solar panels, pitched roofs and risk of fire spread
60% increase in solar panel fires prompts tests and installation warnings.
Modernising heat networks with Heat interface unit
Why HIUs hold the key to efficiency upgrades.























