Efficient Heat Pump Operation -- Understanding How It Works

February 23, 2012 | Blog

Here in the Corpus Christi area, we enjoy warm or hot weather for the better part of the year, and our winters are exceedingly mild. In this climate, a heat pump is an excellent heating and cooling system for your home. It is a little more complicated than a standard air conditioning system, yet it will deliver comfortable heating and cooling for your family.

What it is

An air-source heat pump, the most common variety, is comprised of a compressor, a reversing valve, indoor and outdoor fans and coils, two metering devices, and two bypass valves. Heat pumps require energy only to transport heat from one location to another, unlike combustion furnaces, which require energy to both generate and transport heat. This is the key to the efficient operation of a heat pump.

What it does

In the Cooling Mode the heat pump works just like a standard air conditioner. It removes heat from the inside and pumps it to the outside. When the Heat Pump switches to the heating mode it reverses the flow of refrigerant through the system and pumps the heat from the outside to the inside. Thus it never has to create heat it only moves it from one place to the other.

Energy efficiency and comfort

Because of our mild winters in the Corpus Christi area, heat pumps are a very efficient method to achieve comfortable heating and cooling. And because of the mild winter, the back up heat strips seldom have to come on even though they are there if you need them. For heating, heat pumps produce over three times the heat energy per kilowatt of energy compared to electric heat. That means your heating bills will be reduced dramatically going to a heat pump instead of electric heat.

For more information on how efficient heat pump operation can deliver home comfort and save energy, call Mathews CCAC – Constantly Concerned About Customers, and we’ll be happy to help.