Heating

In a nutshell, heat pumps work in the opposite way of a central HVAC system. They grab heat from the warm air outside and then transfer this heat to the inside of the home, providing warmth in the winter months. Heat pumps also use a significantly less amount of electricity than a natural heat furnace. When it comes down to it, there has never been a more efficient way to heat a home. They not only save homeowners tremendous amounts of money every year, but they are safer heating appliances than the traditional heater.

Continue reading to learn more about heat pumps and their benefits.

How Does a Heat Pump Work?

Describing how a heat pump works is a rather complicated thing to do. Essentially, a heat pump takes heat from the outside air and then transfers that warm air to the inside of the house to provide heat. In return, the home is heated using a small amount of energy.

Yes, even in colder temperatures, outside air has enough heat to keep homes warm!

This process of using outside air to heat a home is accomplished in five steps:

  • The heat pump uses heat energy that it captures from the outside air through the outdoor unit and turns it into cold gas.
  • Next, the heat pump will apply pressure to this cold gas and turn it into a hot gas.
  • Over time, as this hot gas is trapped in the unit located inside the house, it begins to cool off by the passing of air.
  • It is then condensed from hot air to warm liquid.
  • The pressure is then removed from the warm liquid as it enters the outdoor unit. This, in return, renews the cycle by turning the warm liquid to cool liquid.

    • Energy-Efficient Features of a Heat Pump

    When talking about a heating appliance’s efficiency, people generally mean the amount of energy the heating appliance uses to heat the home. A heating appliance that burns fossil fuel, such as natural gas or propane, can usually be expected to achieve an efficiency range of anywhere between 78% to 98%.

    A heat pump blows that number out of the water and can easily reach an efficiency range of more than 300%.

    How can it reach an efficiency of greater than 100%?

    Simple. Since the appliance extracts outdoor air that is already warm, it takes a fraction of energy to raise that to the home’s desired temperature because it already has a head start.

    What Other Benefits Does a Heat Pump Offer?

    One of the biggest benefits of a heat pump is that it is much safer than other heating appliances. This is the case because a heat pump reduces the level of carbon emission.

    Some other common benefits include:

  • Using the outdoor air to heat the office building or home makes heat pumps much cheaper than traditional heating, which uses the burning of fossil fuels to heat an office building or home.
  • Heat pumps have an extremely efficient conversion rate of energy to heat.
  • Heat pumps are also effective at cooling an office building or home in the summer, so they can be used in place of an air conditioner during hotter temperatures.

    • Gene & Johnson Plumbing and Heating Keeps Families Safe

    Gene Johnson Plumbing and Heating is family-owned and operated, delivering top-notch pricing and service since 1976. Homeowners can trust that this company has their best interest at heart. Call for heat pump service in Seattle today!

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