Roughly half of all energy goes so your choice of system can have a large effect on your monthly utility bills. While central air conditioning remains the most frequent way of cooling homes, as many as one third of U.S. houses depended on heating pumps as of 2014. In climate zones, swapping a central air system for a heat pump might help you heat and cool your house reducing your impact on your environment and saving you money.
System Components
A central air conditioner is composed of an outside condenser unit and an indoor evaporator coil. The coil fits in or close to the furnace in homes with central heating and also uses the furnace blower to assist distribute cool air. A heat pump also utilizes coil and an outside condenser, which resembles a standard air conditioner condenser. The unit on a heat pump includes a additional and coil, fan heating system intended to operate without borrowing components out of a furnace on its own. This indoor unit generally resembles a gas furnace that is standard.
How They Work
Air conditioners use power to cool the air; they are designed for cooling. They need to be utilised along with separate heating systems, such as furnaces, to control the indoor temperature year-round. Heat pumps, meanwhile, extract heat from the air rather than generating cold or hot air, which makes them considerably more efficient than air conditioners. Heat pumps can serve to a degree , for both heating and cooling, often eliminating the need for a separate heating system.
Air Distribution
Central air conditioners and furnaces every rely on networks of fabric, plastic or metal ductwork to distribute air throughout a house. You may use the current duct network to distribute air if your air system changes to a heat pump.
Sizing Your System
Size represents one of the primary considerations in choosing a heating pump. This could leave you with a system that’s too small or too big for your house while you may be tempted to simply buy a heat pump that’s the same size as the existing central air conditioner. As many as 40 percent of contractors admit to deliberately oversizing cooling systems, as stated by the U.S. Department of Energy. An oversize system may boost electricity and maintenance expenses, and may result in problems with relaxation and humidity control. Instead of replacing your system with one employ a builder to size your heating pump utilizing guidance made.
Advantages
In climate zones, heating pumps represent a more efficient means of cooling the house. Heat pump systems can heat and cool a house for as little as one-fourth the price of operating a conventional heating and cooling system, as stated by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Drawbacks
They operate when they need to rely upon a electric heater to maintain homes comfortable while heat pumps are efficient in climate zones. If you live in a region where temperatures regularly fall below freezing, then consider a heating pump as opposed to a unit. If temperatures plummet these systems operate to help heat homes economically and more efficiently.