There are plenty of ways to heat your home’s air: furnaces, boilers, space heaters, and more. But what if your heater could also function as an air conditioner? Well, you may be interested in a heat pump to temper the air in your home, no matter the weather.
Heblon Heating & Air Conditioning knows that it’s hard to choose the perfect heating and cooling systems for our fluctuating Mississippi weather. In this article, we’re going to explain the processes and benefits of heat pumps, and hopefully, we can clear up some of your burning questions about them!
What Is A Heat Pump?
The name “heat pump” is quite misleading. From its name, you may assume that heat pumps create heat to warm your home, but this isn’t quite true. These units work to cool and heat your home’s air, but they do not create heat.
Instead, they just move heat from one place to another! It works by absorbing heat energy from the air and transferring either into your home or releasing it into the outdoor air. This heat energy works with the liquid refrigerant inside of the system to change its state of matter, creating more energy and tempering the air in the process.
How Do Heat Pumps Work In Summer?
In summer, heat pumps function just like a standard air conditioner. Through the refrigerant’s phase changes, the heat pump can cool your home’s air and remove the humidity, too.
Here’s how it works:
- The unit pulls in the warm air from your home. As the air passes over the refrigerant coils, the liquid refrigerant cools the air and evaporates into a low-temperature gas.
- The cool air is pumped back into your home through ductwork or direct units.
- The coolant gas passes through a compressor to raise its pressure and temperature levels. Now, the gas is sent through the outdoor coil, and the excess heat is released into the outside air. Because that excessive heat is gone, the refrigerant turns back into a hot liquid.
- The refrigerant liquid goes through the expansion valve to lower the pressure even more. As the pressure of the coolant reduces, so does the temperature. Now, this low-temperature, low-pressure coolant is ready to cool the air again.
How Do Heat Pumps Work In Winter?
If the system needs heat energy to transfer around, how does it work in winter? It uses the same process for summer, except it runs in reverse! The system will pull the heat energy from the outdoors (even in cold temperatures) and transfer it into your home’s air.
This works because the cold air outside still contains more heat energy than the low-pressure refrigerant. So, the refrigerant can still absorb the heat energy and continue its process, but it releases the warm air into your home instead of outside.
The Benefits Of Heat Pumps
There are plenty of options for heating and cooling systems, so what makes heat pumps stand out?
- It’s one system for both heating and cooling. This means you don’t have to pay for two systems. You can also save on maintenance costs thanks to this dual purpose model! Two-in-one systems are exceedingly effective, cost-efficient, space saving and convenient, even if your two-in-one shampoo and conditioner isn’t.
- They’re very energy efficient. Because they don’t create heat through combustion, they are much more energy efficient than typical gas or electric heating systems. They can use up to 50% less electricity than furnaces or baseboard heaters, according to the U.S. Department of Energy!
- Many heat pumps receive ENERGY STAR labels. This means that most of these untis are certified to use less energy than other standard appliances. Remember to ask your HVAC technician about ENERGY STAR certified heat pump options.
- Installation is easy because it can work with your home’s existing ductwork. Yep, that means that your pump won’t require new ductwork. In fact, some can work with no ducts at all! Heat pumps are also available in ductless mini-split styles, making installation a breeze.
So, between their energy efficient status, dual-purpose design and versatile installation options, there’s a lot to love about heat pumps! The high-quality, cost-saving design of heat pumps are hard to beat, so they’re an excellent option for any home.
Premier Heat Pump Installation In Meridian, Mississippi
Heblon Heating & Air Conditioning knows that choosing your heating and cooling system is personal, and it can also be confusing. But don’t worry, we’re here to help! Heat pumps are a fantastic option for Meridian homeowners, thanks to their versatile and energy efficient design.
If you’re looking for a new heating or cooling system for your home, contact Heblon Heating & Air Conditioning today! We’ll make sure that your new system is working as promised, we guarantee it.