Here in Albany, GA, heat pumps offer some of the most efficient heating and cooling you can get. However, there’s plenty of confusion out there about the way they work. To remedy that, here’s everything you need to know about how heat pumps function.
What’s a Heat Pump?
A heat pump, as its name implies, is a device that can pump heat from one place to another. Most heat pumps operate in one of two ways. They either use the air outside to exchange heat energy or a loop of underground pipes to do so.
An air-source heat pump is one type. A geothermal heat pump is the other type. Both systems rely on similar scientific principles to operate.
How Does a Heat Pump Work?
A heat pump relies on one or more indoor air handlers and an outside condenser or ground loop system. In either case, a heat pump relies on the refrigeration cycle to operate. This means they manipulate the pressure of a refrigerant to transfer heat from one place to another.
In the summer, this is exactly how a conventional air conditioner works. It pressurizes its refrigerant, making it extremely hot so it can expel that heat through its outdoor compressor. Then, it expands the refrigerant, cooling it and producing cold air through your indoor air handler or handlers.
A heat pump can also operate in reverse. It then harvests heat energy from the outside air or a ground loop and carries it into your home. It can use that heat to keep your home warm in the winter in place of a furnace or heater.
The Advantages of Heat Pumps
Since they don’t consume energy to produce heat, heat pumps are amazingly efficient in the winter. In heating mode, a heat pump can achieve up to 400% efficiency at times. And in the summer, they’re among the most efficient cooling options on the market today.
If you’re interested in installing a heat pump in your Albany, GA, home, Walker Brothers Heating & Air Conditioning can help. Contact us today to schedule a consultation for a heat pump installation. We provide free estimates and state-of-the-art systems.