If you electric heat and an air conditioner in your Corpus Christi area home, you may be paying a lot more than necessary for comfort. An air-source heat pump heats and cools your home, lowering your energy bills, and reducing maintenance and repair charges.
Perhaps the best thing about air-source heat pumps is their incredible energy efficiency. A properly installed and maintained air-source heat pump puts out up to three times more heat energy than the electricity it uses. The reason is simple: instead of generating heat from fuel, an air-source heat pump moves heat from one area to another.
In the winter, the refrigerant in the heat pump’s outdoor coil absorbs heat from the air and releases it into your home through the indoor coil. In the summer, a valve reverses the direction of the refrigerant so that heat is absorbed from the air in your home and transferred outside where it’s released from the outdoor coil.
In a mild winter climate like that of Corpus Christi, air-source heat pumps are extremely efficient at keeping your home comfortable year-round. The heating efficiency of an air-source heat pump is measured by the heating season performance factor (HSPF). A rating of three on this scale indicates that the input of electricity and the output of heat are equal. Air-source heat pumps typically have an HSPF of 7 to 13. The cooling efficiency is measured by the seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER). New air conditioners must have a SEER of at least 13. Air-source heat pumps typically have a SEER of 13-18, though the number can rise into the 20s.
Maintenance requirements for air-source heat pumps are minimal. Aside from the recommended annual preventive maintenance, the only DIY tasks necessary are monthly air filter inspections and dirty filter replacement, as well as keeping the outdoor unit free of dirt and debris. Keeping your indoor unit clean and your ducts tightly sealed will help keep your heat pump operating at peak efficiency year-round.
For more information about whether an air-source heat pump is good choice for your Coastal Bend home, please contact us at CCAC, Inc.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Corpus Christi, Texas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about air-source heat pump and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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