Are heat pumps noisy?
There are a lot of heat pump myths out there – but ‘heat pumps are too noisy’ is the one that tends to come up the most.
In this article, we look into how loud heat pumps really are and whether getting one will disturb you or your neighbours (spoiler: it won’t).
How noisy are heat pumps?
To describe how noisy heat pumps are, we compare them with other common household noises and appliances using decibels (dB). Decibels increase exponentionally rather than at a steady rate – meaning that a volume of 50dB is ten times louder than 40dB.
Air source heat pumps range between 40 decibels (dB) and 60dB – with noise levels varying depending on model, age and how hard it is working to heat your home.
At Good Energy, we install Midea heat pumps – ultra-quiet heat pumps with a top noise output of 42dB. To put this into context, an average conversation at home is about 50dB and a washing machine is deemed quiet if its top output is below 75dB.
The best comparison is the gentle humming of a fridge, which is around 40dB.
Air source heat pumps are also slightly quieter than a traditional boiler – which can range from 40dB – 60dB depending on your model.
A heat pump will normally only operate at this level for a short time while it is reaching the target temperature, and the volume will afterwards reduce.
Will a heat pump disturb me and my neighbours?
Air source heat pumps are mounted outside your property. They need to work harder to keep your home warm during the colder winter months – meaning they will be a little louder more frequently at this time.
During the summer, it’s much easier for a heat pump to extract heat from the air to heat your hot water, meaning it will be making less noise, less often.
This means that in the warmer seasons, when you and your neighbours are outside or have your windows open, it’s likely you won’t even notice the heat pump is there. Cars driving, children playing and even the rain falling can all make more noise than a Midea heat pump.
If you have close neighbours, we will also have considered them during our heat pump design consultation. We’ll ensure that your heat pump is situated at least one meter from your property boundary, and we carry out a detailed sound assessment to ensure that your heat pump will be quieter than 42dB to fit within permitted development.
