What Is A Heat Pump System Hvac

Think of a heat pump as a heat transporter constantly moving warm air from one place to another to where it s needed or not needed depending on the season.

What is a heat pump system hvac.

In heating ventilation and air conditioning hvac systems the term heat pump usually refers to vapor compression refrigeration devices optimized for high efficiency in both directions of thermal energy transfer. At that point either a gas furnace or an air handler with supplemental electric heat will kick in to help heat your home. Thanks to a reversing valve a heat pump can change the flow of refrigerant and either heat or cool a home. They move heat out of the home to lower indoor temperatures.

For climates with moderate heating and cooling needs heat pumps offer an energy efficient alternative to furnaces and air conditioners. The most efficient heat pumps like the trane xv20i can operate in temperatures as low as 0 degrees fahrenheit. A heat pump is a versatile efficient cooling and heating system. Typical heat pump systems have an auxiliary electric heater added to the indoor unit to add supplemental heat when outdoor temperatures drop.

A typical air source heat pump system is a split or two part system that uses electricity as its power source. So heat is transferred from a heat source like the ground or air into a heat sink like your home. In addition to heating heat pump systems are also used to cool homes. Heat pumps are used as a combination heating and cooling system or in addition to conventional heating and cooling equipment.

Air is blown over an evaporator coil transferring heat energy from the air to the refrigerant. What a heat pump does is use a small amount of energy to switch that process into reverse pulling heat out of a relatively low temperature area and pumping it into a higher temperature area. That is heat pumps able to provide heating or cooling to the internal space as required. The heat pump works in conjunction with the air handler to distribute the warm or cool air to interior spaces.

However because electric auxiliary heating is not very efficient the addition of a furnace can be a solution to this problem creating a system that relies on the heat pump as the primary heat source but automatically switches to the furnace when appropriate. During the heating season heat pumps move heat from the. Technically a heat pump is a mechanical compression cycle refrigeration system that can be reversed to either heat or cool a controlled space. Like your refrigerator heat pumps use electricity to move heat from a cool space to a warm space making the cool space cooler and the warm space warmer.