The use of various heat pumps and chillers (e.g. domestic split air conditioners, liquid chillers) is rapidly expanding. Heat pumps usually use electricity to pump thermal energy from a colder medium (e.g. air in winter, soil, groundwater) to a warmer medium (e.g. the heating circuit of a residential building or directly heated air space). As the amount of thermal energy extracted can be up to 3-7 times the amount of electricity used, heat pump energy production is usually classified as renewable energy.