What is a heat pump?
A heat pump is a device used for either the heating or cooling of a space by transferring hot and cold between two reservoirs. A heat pump can act like an air conditioner, transferring heat from inside to out, or like a heater as it transfers exterior heat to the interior. A winter day with a temperature of 32º Fahrenheit still produces enough heat to warm a space when the air is transferred by heat pump.
A heat pump is a refrigeration circuit that is used to move heat from one location to another. A heat source (air, water or earth) is used to evaporate the refrigerant, a compressor concentrates and moves it to another location and releases it. It’s like an air conditioner that can run in reverse to cool in summer and heat in winter.
A. A heat pump is an air conditioning system which has the ability to discharge the waste heat either outdoors or indoors depending on the demand of the owner. The heart of the operation of course is the compressor which takes the low pressure low temperature vapor and compresses it to a high pressure high temperature vapor. This is the vapor which is directed to either the outdoor coil or the indoor coil according to the owners demand. Unlike electric element heat the heat pump delivers more heat per watt of power consumed. Strip heating (straight element) will consume one watt of power and can produce the maximum of one watt of heat, whereas the heat pump will consume one watt of power and can produce 2.5 watts (more or less depending) of heat making them much more efficient. The heat pump is rated by C.O.P. (co-efficient of performance). The higher the number the more efficient it is. The air which is produced by the heat pump may not feel hot, in fact it is rather cool compared to
A. A heat pump is like a conventional air conditioner except it also can provide heat in winter. In the summer, the heat pump collects heat from the house and expels it outside. In the winter, the heat pump extracts heat from outside air and circulates it inside the house. The heat pump works best when the outdoor temperature is above freezing. Below that, supplementary heat often is needed. A heat pump can save 30 to 60 percent less energy to supply the same heat when compared to an electric furnace with a resistance heating element. In its cooling mode, a heat pump supplies exactly the same kind of cooling as all electric air conditioners. In its heating mode, the temperature of the air supplied by a heat pump is not as hot as the air supplied by a fossil fuel furnace, but the end result is the same: a warm, comfortable home. Air temperature from a heat pump at room outlets normally is about 100 degrees Fahrenheit compared to about 120 to 130 degrees from a fossil fuel furnace.
A Heat Pump is a form of heat that utilizes your outdoor air conditioning unit coupled with an indoor fan section as a source of heat. The outdoor portion operates like a standard air conditioning unit in cool mode. Refrigerant is evaporated in the indoor coil located at the indoor air handling unit, sub-cooling the coil. As the air moves across the evaporator coil it is cooled and moisture is removed. It is during the heat mode that the heat pump is unique. A heat pump is equipped with a reversing valve at the outdoor unit that reverses the flow of refrigerant. The indoor coil is now used to condense the refrigerant causing the temperature of the coil to rise producing heat. The air is then moved across the coil, just as it is in the cooling mode to now be heated rather then cooled. A heat pump is powered by electricity. Heat pumps are widely used in this area as an alternative to gas and oil heating.
