If you’re shopping for a new HVAC system for your Bellflower, CA home, you’ve likely considered a heat pump. However, though heat pumps aren’t new, many homeowners have no experience with them. As a result, some common misconceptions about them persist and could unduly influence your decision. That could make you pass up the most efficient HVAC solution available today. To help you make an informed purchase decision, here’s everything you need to know about heat pumps.
What Is a Heat Pump?
A heat pump is an HVAC system that offers heating and cooling for your home in one convenient package. As the name suggests, they rely on a mechanical process to carry heat from one place to another. In the summer, they collect heat inside your home and carry it outside. In the winter, they collect heat from the outside air and carry it inside to heat your home.
Although you may not know it, you likely already own at least two types of heat pumps. One is your refrigerator. It removes heat from its inside and pumps it into the surrounding air in your kitchen. The other is your existing air conditioning system. All modern ACs are types of heat pumps. Mechanically, they differ little from heat pump systems. The main distinction between the two is that heat pumps include a reversing valve, which allows them to operate in reverse to provide heat in the winter.
How Does a Heat Pump Work?
Heat pumps are marvels of science and engineering. They take advantage of a few basic scientific principles to function. One is that heat energy will always spontaneously move toward colder areas or substances. The other is that you can control the temperature and boiling point of liquids by manipulating their pressure. Those are the reasons why heat pumps can use refrigerant to carry heat energy from place to place. That’s also why they can control where and when that heat gets expelled.
If you’re familiar with how air conditioners work, then you likely have a good idea of how heat pumps work. However, we find that it’s how heat pumps function in the winter that confuses most people. After all, how can you gather heat from the outdoors in the winter? The answer has to do with how the refrigeration cycle works.
In the winter, a heat pump begins with its refrigerant at low pressure and low temperature. In some heat pumps, the refrigerant can be as cold as -15 degrees Fahrenheit at this point. This makes them cold enough to absorb heat energy from the outdoor air. Just as long as that air is warmer than the refrigerant, this process continues to work. When the refrigerant collects enough heat energy, it will boil into a vapor. That’s because low pressures also mean lower boiling points for all liquids.
This is where the heat pump’s compressor comes into play. It takes the warm, low-pressure vapor and squeezes it. By increasing the pressure, it also increases the temperature of the refrigerant. Upon leaving the compressor, the refrigerant will reach between 120 and 170 degrees Fahrenheit. In this way, a heat pump amplifies the heat energy found outside, even on a cold day. The high-pressure, now-hot refrigerant then travels indoors to a heat exchanger. There, a fan pushes air from your home across the heat exchanger, warming the air.
What Are the Advantages of a Heat Pump?
The most important advantage of a heat pump is its energy efficiency. Heat pumps routinely rank among the most efficient cooling solutions available. After all, they are mechanically similar to high-end air conditioners. It’s in heat mode, however, where heat pumps shine. In ideal conditions, a heat pump can heat your home while achieving an efficiency rate close to 400%. As a result, heat pumps can cut the average home’s energy usage by up to 50%. That also helps make heat pumps an environmentally friendly option since they use less carbon-intensive energy.
What Are the Disadvantages of a Heat Pump?
There are two main disadvantages associated with heat pumps. One is that they’re more expensive than conventional HVAC systems. However, when you consider that they function as both a heating and cooling solution, that makes sense. The other disadvantage is that heat pumps lose efficiency at low temperatures. An ordinary heat pump will become less efficient than the average gas furnace at about 25 degrees Fahrenheit. The good news is that we rarely see temperatures that low here in Bellflower, so it’s not much of a drawback.
Trusted Heat Pump Experts
If you think a heat pump is the right HVAC solution for your Bellflower home, Service All-Stars can help. We’ve served the HVAC needs of local homeowners since 2013. We offer complete HVAC installation, repair, and maintenance. We also offer plumbing services and attic insulation. We even offer free estimates on all HVAC system installations, including heat pumps. And if you need financing to help pay for a heat pump, we can offer it to you on approved credit. So, for quality heat pumps in Bellflower, call Service All-Stars today!
