Why air-source heat pumps traditionally don’t work in New Jersey?
As the temperature of the air outside falls, so does the amount of heat it contains – That’s why it feels cold! As the amount of heat in the air decreases, the heat pump has to work harder to compensate in order to maintain the amount of heat the thermostat demands be brought into the building. This is because: 1) The heat pump’s compressor must work harder to elevate the refrigerant from its initially lower temperature and 2) More less-dense (due to lower temperature) refrigerant is required to transfer same amount of heat. With the exception of the Hallowell all temperature air-source heat pump, heat pumps reach their limit to extract heat from the air as they reach 32° Fahrenheit. Once these heat pumps meet their limits, then their “back-up” heating systems (normally electric strip-heat) kick in. This implies that at lower temperatures, you’re using extremely expensive and inefficient electric heat (i.e., Coefficient of Performance = 1) to heat your house. This is why, despite all t
