By: Brian Sodoma, for 黑料社区
When considering聽a聽new HVAC system, you’ve聽probably seen聽heat pumps. While they’ve聽been around for more than a century, in 2020 they聽overtook聽gas聽furnaces聽in sales.聽Compared to聽traditional heaters, which聽rely on聽natural gas, propane gas or oil聽to generate heat聽and electricity for cooling, heat pumps聽are fully electric.
Heat pumps are聽enticing聽since聽they are聽extremely聽energy efficient and聽eco-friendly; they don’t聽burn聽fossil fuels like natural gas. Heat pumps are聽considered聽a聽big聽solution for聽cutting聽carbon emissions and聽聽show聽that heat pumps are a聽greener option聽for聽your home heating system.聽That being said,聽doubts about their effectiveness聽in cold weather have聽held back some consumers. But that’s聽no longer an issue—thanks to advances in technology.
Continue below to learn聽how heat pump technology聽innovations聽are聽making these HVAC systems more attractive聽than ever聽for today's eco-conscious homeowner.
The Benefits of聽Heat Pumps
Producing roughly four times聽the amount of energy than it聽takes, a heat pump is聽much more efficient聽than conventional聽gas furnaces聽and can even be聽more efficient聽than a high-efficiency聽model. And聽even though聽coal-based聽energy plans聽still聽provide a portion of our power, new renewable energy sources聽like聽wind and solar are聽on the rise, making all-electric heating and cooling systems even more聽appealing聽to today’s聽environmentally aware聽consumers.
On top of that, federal tax credits聽that provide聽聽are聽another factor driving聽the聽rise聽of heat pumps. When聽combined with聽other state and local聽incentives, homeowners can聽further increase their total savings.
“Heat pumps are聽increasingly聽more energy efficient than聽standard gas furnaces, and they can help you聽dramatically reduce聽your power bill—and聽for some homeowners, by $500 or more聽each year,” said Cary Reed, a聽黑料社区聽HVAC professional.
How It Works
When it's cold outside, heat pumps聽extract heat from聽the outside air to聽use it for home heating聽by聽transporting it through聽coils. The heat is聽sent to one or more indoor units,聽maintaining聽the home’s temperature. The聽key player聽here is聽the heat pump's refrigerant, which聽changes from liquid to gasÐand then back to liquidÐas it聽gathers and releases聽heat聽along the way.
When it's hot, the process聽switches the other way. Heat is聽extracted from indoors聽and聽pumped outside聽through the聽same coolant聽coils.
This is how the cycle works:
- When it's cold, a coil heat exchanger聽paired聽with a metering device聽moves聽heat from the outside air to the liquid refrigerant inside the coil. Even at聽lower outside聽temperatures, there is still heat聽accessible聽in the outside air. As the heat聽is absorbed by聽the refrigerant, it聽raises聽its temperature to its boiling point and聽transforms it from liquid to gas.
- Next, a compressor聽pumps聽the gas refrigerant聽throughout聽the system,聽raising the pressure of the gas聽so聽the heat is聽emitted into the house聽by a fan or blower. As the heat is聽released, the refrigerant聽changes back to liquid. The process聽goes on聽until the home’s thermostat is聽set.
- A reversing valve is used to聽reverse聽the system from heating to cooling. The reversing valve is聽controlled聽by the thermostat and will聽invert聽the cycle during the summer,聽sending heat from the home to the outside.
Advances in Heat Pump Technology聽Push Efficiency Even Further
Once聽the outdoor temperature聽drops, heat pumps become less聽efficient聽and have聽less capacity for heating. But聽manufacturers have聽adopted important technological improvements聽to聽improve聽the capacity AND efficiency聽of heat pumps聽during cold weather.
For one thing,聽these brands聽are聽updating their designs to meet聽higher聽SEER聽(Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio)聽minimum ratings.聽Installing a heat pump with a high聽SEER rating means聽smaller electricity bills聽for the system. While SEER聽largely聽pertains聽to cooling, the heat pump’s energy and cost savings聽during聽the summer聽rise considerably聽as minimum SEER standards聽rise.
When it comes聽to聽a heat pump's total聽capacity,聽top聽brands have聽developed systems聽capable of maintaining聽peak聽efficiency and heating capacity even聽after the temperatures fall聽as low as -15 degrees. This聽is聽a聽dramatic聽20- to 30-degree improvement compared聽against standards聽just five years ago.
“How are they聽doing it?聽They have access to聽upgraded聽variable-speed compressors to聽more quickly change power levels聽while using聽less of it overall.聽In addition, the heat exchangers聽found in聽modern units are聽much larger, which聽described.聽During聽extreme cold weather, the systems聽also聽use auxiliary heaters聽that聽will start聽below聽certain temperatures.
This new technology has聽been聽partially driven by聽the Department of Energy’s聽,聽a federal program聽focused on advancing聽heat pump innovation.
“The heat pump boom is actually聽an ideal situation,” Reed said. “People want to聽help聽the聽climate聽while聽reducing energy costs, and there are聽major programs from the federal and state governments. We are even seeing some customers, who purchase a聽heat pump, will also upgrade their聽insulation聽to聽maximize their energy efficiency and聽savings.”
To learn even more about high-efficiency聽heat pumps,聽go to聽serviceexperts.com/heat-pumps. To聽set up聽an appointment with聽a heating and cooling pro, visit our聽scheduling page.
