How does a heat pump work? A plain-English guide

Yes. The same heat pump reverses its cycle and cools the home in summer through fan coils or ducts (in Mallorca the cooling doesn't run through the floor: with our humidity it would condense). That's why we call it a 3-in-1 system: heating, cooling and hot water from a single unit. On the 3-pipe Multi-Hybrid system we install there is also a detail that matters in Mallorca: while it cools the house in the middle of August, the heat it removes is diverted to the hot water tank instead of being dumped outside, so summer hot water costs nothing extra in electricity. Its cooling EER is 3.97 (official Daitsu 2024-25 catalogue).

Mallorca's mild climate is ideal for a heat pump: winters are not extreme, so the heat pump works in its peak-efficiency range almost all year. And there is one figure that works in the island's favour: the unit is rated to run from -15 °C outdoor temperature (official Daitsu 2024-25 catalogue). Mallorca never gets near that, not even on the worst day inland, so the machine always works inside its good range. That is the opposite of what happens in Germany or the UK, where a heat pump really does lose performance in a hard frost, and it is why people who arrive sceptical about heat pumps change their mind here.

It is not mandatory. A heat pump works with underfloor heating, with fan coils or with low-temperature radiators, such as Jaga Low-H2O in a refurbishment without lifting floors. What changes is the water temperature: the EU energy-labelling rules for heat pumps (Delegated Regulation (EU) No 811/2013) measure them at 35 °C (“low temperature”) and at 55 °C (“medium temperature”), and the cooler the water can run, the better the machine performs. That is why underfloor heating is its best match. In Mallorca, cooling never goes through the floor: fan coils or ducts provide it. We advise you according to your home.

It depends on your home and your usage, but replacing a gas or oil boiler usually brings a notable saving on heating and hot water, because the heat pump uses energy from the air. If you also pair it with solar panels, part of the electricity it uses comes from your roof. We work out the figures for your case, with the manufacturer's number rather than a promise: COP of up to 4.24 and a seasonal SCOP of 3.72 (official Daitsu 2024-25 catalogue). That means that for every kWh of electricity it delivers around 3.7 kWh of heat as a yearly average. A combustion boiler cannot come close: it does not multiply energy, it burns it. What you save in euros in your Mallorca home depends on your tariff and your consumption, and that is worked out with your bills in front of us.

Yes. The FACTOR 2026 call from the Balearic Government subsidises heat pumps for individuals (70% of the eligible cost for private homeowners resident in the Balearics, calculated on at most €1,000 per kW of heating output, or €1,450 if the heat distribution is also new, and capped at €25,000 per installation; first come first served until the funds run out), and, if it is your main home or a home you let and the before and after energy certificates prove the improvement the law requires, the income-tax (IRPF) deduction for energy-efficiency works may also apply (works up to 31 December 2026), with any grant subtracted from its base. We prepare and file all the paperwork for you; the award, however, depends on the administration.