What is an aerothermal heat pump?
Aerothermal is a technology that extracts energy from the outside air using a heat pump and transfers it indoors. With a single unit it covers heating in winter, cooling in summer and domestic hot water (DHW) year-round. It burns no fuel, produces no on-site emissions and needs very little electricity to run.
The secret is the COP (Coefficient of Performance): for every 1 kWh of electricity it consumes, a modern heat pump delivers between 3 and 5 kWh of heat. That means 75–80 % of the energy you use is free, straight from the air. Today it's the most efficient HVAC system available for homes and the tertiary sector.
How it works, in plain language
An aerothermal system has two parts:
- Outdoor unit, similar to an air conditioner, that captures heat (or cold) from the ambient air even at sub-zero temperatures.
- Indoor unit, which uses that energy to heat water flowing through underfloor heating, fancoils, low-temperature radiators or a DHW tank.
The same unit reverses the cycle in summer to cool the home. Unlike a boiler, there's no mandatory gas inspection, no risk of CO leaks or carbon monoxide, and the sound footprint is minimal.
Combined with solar panels, the heat pump self-supplies much of its electricity consumption during the day. The result: practically free heating and cooling for many months of the year.
Real savings vs other systems
Reference figures for an average 120 m² well-insulated home in Andalucía:
- Diesel boiler: ~€2,400/year.
- Natural gas boiler: ~€1,500/year.
- Electric radiators: ~€2,000/year.
- Heat pump: ~€500–650/year.
- Heat pump + AUREQIS solar: ~€150–300/year.
In new builds or well-insulated retrofits, the heat pump pays back in 6–10 years even without solar. With leasing + solar, monthly savings start from month one.
Who is it for
Single-family home
The ideal solution: combined with underfloor heating or fancoils it delivers comfort superior to any boiler. If you're building or renovating, you also save the chimney, the boiler room and the gas maintenance costs.
Flats and renovations
Compact units are available to replace gas boilers in apartment buildings. With low-temperature radiators the system works perfectly, no major works required.
Hotels, restaurants and residences
Continuous demand for DHW and HVAC all year: the perfect scenario for very fast payback, especially if you couple it with the photovoltaic installation.
Industry and processes
For processes needing hot water at 50–65 °C continuously (laundries, food processing, agro-industry) industrial heat pumps replace diesel boilers with five-figure yearly savings.
Subsidies and grants
Heat pumps are eligible under the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (NextGenerationEU), regional Andalusian grants for energy retrofits, and Spanish IRPF income tax deductions for efficiency improvements. At AUREQIS we help you process the subsidy and optimise the combination so your net investment is as low as possible.
The bonus: heat pump + solar
The peak electricity consumption of a heat pump happens during the central hours of the day (summer cooling) or morning and evening (DHW and heating year-round). Exactly when your solar panels are producing. That's why the combo is so efficient: the panels feed the heat pump, the heat pump delivers comfort, and any surplus goes to the grid. Your electricity bill drops to a minimum.
Heat pump FAQs
Does it work well in cold climates like Granada or Jaén?
Yes. Modern units keep a COP > 3 down to -7 °C. For zones with harder winters, units are sized with minimal electrical backup that only kicks in during peaks.
How noisy is the outdoor unit?
Between 35 and 55 dB at 1 metre — like a quiet conversation or the background hum of a library. It's installed on a patio, roof or façade with anti-vibration mounts.
Do I need to replace my radiators?
Not necessarily. It can coexist with traditional radiators if they're properly sized; the optimum is low-temperature radiators or underfloor heating, which make the most of the low supply temperature.
Do you offer it on leasing like solar panels?
Yes. The heat pump can be included in the same leasing contract as the solar panels or contracted separately. Tell us your case and we'll prepare a tailored proposal.