Heating / September 9, 2013
Heat Pumps – What Are They And How Do They Work?
Heat Pumps – What They Are And How They Work?
Heat pumps are a great solution for your San Diego home. This is because heat pumps provide both heating and cooling. Whether it’s the hottest day of the summer or the coolest day of the winter, energy efficient heat pumps work day in and day out to provide your family with premium comfort.
Heat pumps are simply a means of transferring energy (in the form of heat) from one place to another. This process involves work (energy expenditure, usually in the form of electricity). Heat pumps are becoming a more popular choice for providing home heating, particularly amongst those who are conscious of using energy efficient systems.
In essence, heat pumps work like a fridge in reverse. Where a fridge or freezer removes heat from INSIDE itself, to be dumped into the surrounding atmosphere OUTSIDE (this is why the back of a fridge feels warm in use), the heat pump takes energy in the form of heat from OUTSIDE of the house and transports it INSIDE for the purpose of heating the home’s interior.
It takes less energy to transfer heat than to produce it. That’s why the heat pump is so efficient. It can deliver more than 2 units of heat for each unit of electricity it uses. The efficiency ratio ranges from 150% to 250% when compared with electric resistant heating. This efficiency means it can cost 25% to 50% less to run a heat pump than an electric resistance heating system. The actual cost of operation varies with your lifestyle, the location, how well insulated your home is and, of course, the weather.
