Heat pumps have been around for decades now, but they’re still relatively “new” in the minds of our customers and community. Unless you decided to pursue a science degree or get into the HVAC industry yourself, it can be extremely difficult to learn exactly how these systems work and why they’re becoming so popular now.
Well, like your favorite high school science teacher, we love to spread the knowledge of how heat pumps work and help to explain their popularity. And, to top things all off, we perform heat pump installations in Worcester County for customers who are ready to have an all-electric heating and cooling solution for their home.
Don’t let the price tag or myths about these systems fool you–let’s go on a deep dive and talk about how these units work and why they’re worth the money.
Moving Heat: The Process of a Heat Pump
Heat pumps are similar to air conditioners but very different from furnaces or boilers. Here’s why.
Heat pumps move heat from one location to another. They don’t create any heating or cooling, like a furnace might when it burns gas. Instead, the heat pump uses the powerful process of evaporation and condensation to draw heat inside of the system and disperse it outside in specific places. This makes them work as both air conditioners and heating systems depending on which way the refrigerant inside of them is flowing.
The Heating Process
Let’s first start with heating. In the wintertime, a heat pump can be a powerful heating system by attracting heat from the outdoors and bringing it inside. Yes, even when the temperature is 20 degrees out, there still exists some heat that can be extracted from the atmosphere by a heat pump unit. The system will simply evaporate refrigerant from the outdoors and condense it inside, allowing the heat to dissipate into your air ducts where a blower system pushes it to where you can feel it.
The Cooling Process
Then, when you set the system to “cooling mode,” it will run in reverse. Essentially, the system will use the same process to capture heat from the inside of your house and put it outdoors on a scorching hot summer day. This keeps your house cool and feeling comfortable, almost exactly the same as an air conditioner would.
Efficiency, Convenience, and More
Did you know that moving heat is more energy efficient than creating heat? It’s true, a heat pump is better for your budget and the planet because of the simple fact that it’s only moving heat that already exists instead of burning fuel or using electricity to create heat. This makes them efficiency powerhouses, and excellent choices for customers who are concerned about their carbon footprint.
Also, keep in mind that they both heat and cool your home depending on the season, making them the perfect all-year HVAC system that can replace both your AC and your heating unit.
With the Inflation Reduction Act, there are also amazing new ways to save money on a heat pump installation. Just call our team to get started on your installation journey.
Schedule an appointment with Landry Mechanical Inc Plumbing HVAC & Electric, where we take comfort in YOUR comfort!