The weather is a bit unpredictable at this time of the year, with temperatures proving to be fairly hot one day, and then dropping well below comfortable levels the next. Even so, most people in this area have their eyes on summer, and now is a great time to consider replacing the heating system that you’re relying on less and less as the season progresses.
If you are considering replacing your heater as even you look forward to the summer season, then take a few moments to familiarize yourself with the heat pump. Heat pumps offer not only a great heating performance, but can actually be used to maintain comfortable temperatures year-round.
It’s All About Heat Transfer
These days, more and more homeowners are looking to heat their homes not only more affordably, but in a more environmentally friendly manner as well. This is one of the reasons the heat pump has become so popular. Not only can it provide the warmth that homeowners demand during the winter season, but it can do so while using only a very small amount of electricity.
Heat pumps do not burn a fuel in order to generate heat, nor do they use electric resistance. In fact, they don’t actually generate heat at all. They absorb heat from the air outside in order to use it in warming a home. Refrigerant absorbs the heat, is compressed by the heat pump’s compressor, and its thermal energy is then used to heat air for distribution throughout the home.
Now that’s all well and good, but the fact that the heat pump is capable of reversing its refrigerant cycle, thus reversing its operation in order to cool homes as well, is where it truly sets itself apart. When the heat of summer hits, a component called the reversing valve allows the heat pump to reverse the flow of its refrigerant. In doing so, it is able to function essentially in the same manner as a traditional central AC.
To learn more or to schedule heat pump services on Capitol Hill, call Polar Bear Air Conditioning & Heating Inc.