A heat pump offers remarkably clean and energy efficient heating and cooling using some of the most innovative technology found in HVAC equipment. Instead of using nonrenewable combustible fuels, heat pumps extract heat in the outdoor air as their heat source. Over time, engineering upgrades have made it possible for them to effectively heat at even colder temperatures.
Their Advantages
While heat pumps do require electricity to run, this energy source is the cleanest you can use inside your home. It produces no byproducts like carbon monoxide (CO) and other environmentally and personally toxic gases. These systems also double as air conditioners whose efficiency and performance is the same as central cooling equipment.
Heat pumps use electricity for heating with exceptional efficiency. An electric-only furnace or baseboard heating system has a coefficient of performance (COP) of just 1, which means it creates one unit of heat for each unit of power it uses. Heat pumps have COPs that range from 3 to 6. Higher COPs indicate better efficiency.
The upgrades that increase their COP include scroll and variable-speed compressors. The compressor in a heat pump changes the refrigerant’s pressure, which forces it to absorb or lose heat.
- A scroll compressor produces up to 10 degree warmer air than the standard piston compressor and lasts longer because of its streamlined design.
- Variable-speed compressors adjust their operating speeds based on indoor and outdoor temperatures, which keeps your home evenly comfortable winter and summer.
Considerations for Frigid Weather
As the amount of heat in the air falls, heat pumps need to work harder to extract it. While the scroll and variable-speed upgrades help, you may want to consider a hybrid pump that includes a back-up gas burner for exceptionally cold conditions. Instead of using gas from fall to spring, you can limit its use to just the coldest days of winter.
A heat pump offers clean, comfortable and efficient heating and cooling. If you’d like more information, contact the pros at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning, providing trusted HVAC services for homeowners in Elyria and Oberlin.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Lorain, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about heat pumps and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 440-201-2959.
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Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area