Are you considering a heat pump for your home? If so, you’ll have a lot of company here in North Carolina. According to U.S. Energy Information Administration statistics, our state is now number two in the nation, with heat pumps installed in 42% of residential housing. Nationwide, the count of home heat pumps exceeds 17 million and is predicted to double in 10 years. Read on to learn how heat pump technology works and why it’s growing so fast.
Most people are familiar with central air conditioners. In very basic terms, they are one-way heat movers. An AC extracts heat from the house at an indoor evaporator coil, then transfers that heat to the outdoor condenser coil, where it’s dispersed into the air. What’s left behind indoors is cool comfort.
Heat pumps, conversely, are two-way heat movers. In cooling mode, the heat pump functions like a standard AC, moving indoor heat outdoors. However, heat pump components can reverse roles. In heating mode, the outside coil extracts latent heat from outdoor air and moves it indoors, where it’s released to warm the house.
Some benefits of heat pump technology include:
- Advanced heating efficiency. Because a heat pump basically moves heat from one place to another, it does not need to generate heat like a gas-fired or electric furnace. This makes a heat pump highly efficient, ranging from 200% to 300% efficiency versus a high-efficiency gas furnace, which rates up to 95%.
- Reduced maintenance. Since heating and cooling functions are incorporated into one system that shares components, heat pump maintenance procedures are integrated, and troubleshooting and repairs are expedited.
- No toxic emissions. Gas-fired furnaces utilize combustion that generates hazardous fumes, including carbon monoxide. A heat pump utilizes electricity as its only energy source and creates no emissions inside or outside the house.
- Higher technology. Heat pumps come standard with the latest advancements, such as high-efficiency inverter technology. This allows the system compressor to run at a variety of speeds per the precise requirements of cooling or heating in the house.
Get more information about the benefits of heat pump technology by contacting the professionals at Jackson & Sons.
