Did you know that Fujitsu heat pumps are not only used to heat and cool homes and business spaces? Although that’s a heat pump’s primary function, they are being used for some unconventional applications, which many people aren’t aware of. Other than warming or cooling a room, here are four examples of heat pumps being used in ways you wouldn’t expect.

They’re Used For Heating Of Pools 

Although Fujitsu heat pumps are mainly used to heat the inside of your home, office, or workspace, they can also heat some other things – namely, pools. When you swim in an outdoor pool, the water only gets warmer in the summertime, when the hot sun is shining down on it. Swimming pools in the warm sun are the most cooling and comfortable temperature to swim in summer, without making you too cold. But what about swimming in winter?

Obviously, the pool water in winter would be too cold to swim in, which is why there are indoor pools in gyms and community centres. Indoor pools manage to maintain a comfortable temperature so that you can swim in them even when the weather is cold. But to provide the comfortable temperatures, you need a heat source to warm them, and indoor pools don’t get any sun at all. That’s why heat pumps are used to heat indoor pools.

Typically, indoor pools are heated with a water-to-water heat pump. The heat pump produces enough warm water to keep the pool at a comfortable temperature without being too hot, and without cooling down too quickly to make you cold. By pairing an indoor pool conditioner with a geothermal heat pump, it would result in an even more effective system. Indoor pool conditioners are similar to heat recovery systems, but are much more efficient and manage to recover more heat waste. It recovers heat from the air surrounding the pool, and then sends the recovered heat back into the water, keeping it consistently warm.

They’re Used For Waste Heat Recovery 

Speaking of heat waste, Fujitsu heat pumps are also used to recover waste heat that would otherwise be lost. They’re particularly useful for large buildings that generate a lot of heat, such as hotels, apartment buildings, and hospitals. These buildings suffer from heat waste more than others, because of the amount of heat that is generated inside them. Think about it – hospitals and hotels do a lot of laundry to keep bed sheets cleaned for each patient or guest. Hospitals also need to provide heat so that their patients are comfortable in their hospital rooms. Other than that, hotels and apartment buildings generate a lot of heat for the same reason – every hotel room or apartment will be running heaters, using hot water, and more to keep the occupants warm and comfortable in cold weather.

For this reason, a lot of heat can dissipate and be wasted. Not only is this inefficient, but it also loses heat. Some large buildings try to save on heat loss by doing laundry services with cold water, but that isn’t always viable if they want the bedding to get a thorough wash. What these buildings can do is install Fujitsu heat pumps equipped with heat exchangers. These harvest waste heat and transfer it back into the water supply, the building’s airstream or underfloor heating systems. It’s a great way to reduce heat loss and has been found to be effective.

They’re Used For Domestic Hot Water Heating 

Other than heating the space around you, the most significant use of energy in homes and domestic residences is from heating water. People need hot water for cooking, bathing and more. Industries like hotels, hospitals, and gyms, to name a few, also use hot water for cooking, bathing and laundry. Although boilers and geysers are more commonly used to heat water, heat pumps are now also being used to provide hot water.

They’re Used To Make Ice 

Although most examples here have been about providing heat, there is one unconventional use of Fujitsu heat pumps that use them to cool. In fact, heat pumps can get cold enough to produce ice. With refrigerant, a heat pump can be used to chill the surface of ice rinks, keeping them at a steady temperature with a stable surface, perfect for ice skating.

Although Fujitsu heat pumps are mostly used to maintain stable and comfortable temperatures in hot and cold weather, they can also be used in some applications where you wouldn’t expect it. Recovering lost heat, freezing the surface of ice rinks and warming indoor pools are just some of the unconventional ways Fujitsu heat pumps are utilised.