How Your Heat Pump Works In Cold Weather
Did you know the same system that keeps you cool in the summer can also keep your home warm in the winter? If you did not, then read on to discover how your heat pump works in cold weather.
How heat pumps operate: The heat pump got its name for its ability to pump heat out of your home during the summer and pump heat into your home during the winter. A simplified way to understand the workings of the heat pump is to look at your refrigerator. The refrigerator removes heat that enters when the door is open or when you set a container of hot food on the shelf. The heat is sent back into your kitchen via the exhaust fan. Just as the heat pump removes hot air during the summer months, it extracts heat from the outside air, warms it, and sends it inside your home.
The components of an air-source heat pump: The air source heat pump includes two parts: an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. The indoor unit, called the air handler, is usually located in the basement, crawlspace, attic or closet. It looks very much like a gas furnace, but contains an indoor refrigerant coil, a supplemental heater and a fan. The outdoor unit houses the compressor, the outdoor refrigerant coil, the blower fan and the reversing valve. The heart of this system is the compressor. It is responsible for sending the refrigerant through the coils.
Heat pump efficiency: Heat pumps have been said to heat your home less effectively than other types of heating systems. The warm air entering a home through a heat pump is approximately 100 degrees F, while the air from a furnace-heated system is usually 120-130 degrees F. Despite the initial temperature, a heat pump will bring the air inside your home to the same temperature a furnace does if given enough time, and it will warm the room at a more uniform rate than the furnace would.
Now that you see how your heat pump works in cold weather, and if you currently do not have one in your home, consider purchasing one from LHT Cooling, Heating and Refrigeration, Inc.!