You might know some folks who are very happy with their heat pumps. You might know that they provide all the cooling necessary for a home—plus heating! And you’ve probably heard that they’re very energy-efficient. But how much do you know about what a heat pump actually does and how it heats and cools with so much less energy use? Let’s dig into some information.
AC Technology
We’ll begin by explaining air conditioners, because heat pumps use the same technology, although they can do some different things with it. Air conditioners have both indoor and outdoor units, which are connected by a loop of coils. These are tubes, often made of copper or a metal alloy, which contain a substance called refrigerant.
Refrigerant has an extremely low boiling point. That means that at a surprisingly low temperature, it turns from a liquid into a gas, just like boiling water turning into steam. As it does, it absorbs a lot of heat from the surrounding air. When it condenses back into a liquid, that heat is released.
In the outdoor AC unit, there’s a compressor, which keeps the refrigerant under pressure and forces it to move through the coils. In the indoor unit, there’s a blower fan, which distributes the cooled air as the refrigerant soaks up heat. The refrigerant flows back to the outdoor unit, where the heat dissipates and the refrigerant cools back down.
The Heat Pump Difference
One very interesting component makes it possible for a heat pump to do more than an air conditioner ever could. It’s the reversing valve! It lives in the outdoor unit, and it controls which direction the refrigerant flows. Instead of only moving heat outdoors from inside, a heat pump can do either that or the reverse, warming you up indoors!
It might seem remarkable that this system could bring you heat when it’s chilly outside, but refrigerant has that very low boiling point. It doesn’t have to be warm out for the refrigerant to quickly and efficiently absorb heat, it just has to be above freezing.
Heating Efficiency
All kinds of new cooling systems, including heat pumps and air conditioners, are being made more energy-efficient than ever before. Better refrigerants, better materials for refrigerant coils, multi-phase compressors, and variable-speed motors are all innovations that are saving a lot of energy. But a heat pump’s extra-impressive efficiency has to do with how it heats.
A gas furnace heats by combusting fuel, literally making fire. An electric heater uses resistance, forcing electricity into a material that doesn’t conduct it very well, and that material heats up. Both of these involve generating heat from nothing, and they use a huge amount of energy. But your heat pump won’t have to create heat at all! It easily and efficiently moves existing heat around, using very little energy.
Doesn’t a heat pump sound amazing? We’d love to chat with you about heat pumps in Birmingham, AL, and tell you all about the high-efficiency electric home rebate program! You could save more money than you know.
“Your experience is what matters most!” Contact Douglas Cooling & Heating today for help with all your HVAC needs.
