Heat pumps transfer heat from one place to another -- providing both heating and cooling. They work on the fundamental principle that heat exists in air even at extremely low temperatures. In the winter, a heat pump extracts heat from outside air and delivers it indoors. To cool a house on hot summer days, it works in reverse, extracting heat from room air and pumping it outdoors.
Heat pumps give off less heat at one time than a conventional gas furnace. This means they offer a mellower type of heat, stay on longer and circulate more air throughout the house. They're controlled by the same type of thermostat used for forced-air systems. On really cold days a heat pump must work especially hard to collect heat -- that's when the supplemental heater switches on to boost warmth. Some heat pumps can heat your water, too. New thermal storage units even store heat and cold, collecting it during non-peak hours for peak-hour use.
The process is a bit technical, but here's a brief look at how heat pumps work:
The most common type of heat pump is an "air-source" system. "Split" air-source systems have an outdoor unit which includes a refrigerant-filled tubing to an indoor component. The indoor unit contains a fan, indoor coil and a supplemental resistance heating element. "Package" systems combine both components in a single unit that's typically placed on the roof.
Depending on whether the heat pump is in a cooling or heating mode, the refrigerant moving through the system makes the indoor coils either hot or cold. A blower draws room air in through a filter and pulls it across the indoor coil. An optional electric-resistance heating element can kick on when needed to supplement heat. As the air passes by the coils, it either gathers or gives off heat -- depending on whether the coils are hot or cold. Warm or cool air travels through ductwork and registers into your rooms. Ground-source and water-source heat pumps: Not all heat pumps extract heat from the air. Ground-source and ground-water source heat pumps circulate water mixed with antifreeze through a system of buried tubing to gather heat from the earth or ground water, which is much more consistent in temperature than air. Below-ground temperatures are normally warmer than outside air in the winter and cooler than the air in summer.
The ground-source system employs a closed loop of tubing that is buried below the frost line; the water-antifreeze mixture circulates through the tubing, gathering heat from the earth. A ground-water system typically involves pumping water from one well, transferring its heat to your house, then returning the water to another well.
-- Tips courtesy of Service Magic
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