Heat pumps give year-round comfort to the users and help in lowering energy costs. It is a device that transfers heat energy from one source to another or a thermal reservoir. Heat pumps come with four main components: a condenser, compressor, an expansion valve, and an evaporator. While freezers and air conditioners are typical examples of heat pumps, the term is quite general. Many heating, ventilation, and air conditioning devices used this term for space cooling or heating mode. These devices offer energy-efficient alternatives to air conditioners and furnaces for the climates with moderate cooling and heating needs. They come in three different types: a water source, air-to-air and geothermal, and collect heat from water and air to concentrate it for inside use.
Heat pumps make the warm space warmer and cold space cooler using electricity to move heat from a warm place to a cool place. During the summer season, heat pumps move heat from cold environments to your house and make it cool. On the contrary, heat pumps move heat to your home and rooms to make it warm. Because heat pumps move heat rather than generate it and provide space conditioning equivalently and adequately, these devices supply more cooling and heating capacity than they use the electricity to run. Before you purchase a heat pump, you should know the upsides and downsides of the heat pumps. There are multiple advantages of heat pumps, making them a valuable investment for homeowners.
Here are some of these advantages:
The running cost of heat pumps is meager when compared to other combustion-based systems. You can make savings for the long term on energy-efficient systems like heat pumps. Also, the heat pumps need less maintenance than what is required by combustion-based heating systems. You can check some of the common issues yourself in your heat pumps. However, you should call a professional installer for complex problems. Safety is also a significant matter in such devices, and heat pumps are relatively safer than heating systems based on combustion.
Heat pumps are very much efficient in reducing carbon emissions with an impressive rate of efficient energy conversion. You can conveniently switch the air to air heat pumps to cooling mode in summer and vice versa. Regarding the life span, heat pumps have a comparatively longer life span, i.e., up to 50 years.
Benefits of Heat Pump Maintenance
Regular maintenance is very much helpful in keeping your devices active and functional for a long time. Heat pumps also need routine maintenance that homeowners often ignore. Maintenance ensures that every component in your device is in top-notch condition, along with guaranteeing efficient cooling and heating for your home. Homeowners can enhance the efficiency of their system by doing straightforward tasks. For example, they can check whether the condensate line is dripping or not.
If your AC is on and the condensate line is not leaking, it means that your air conditioner can stop working anytime, and you will need to call the technician. Regular maintenance can help you find the unnoticed small issues with your heat pumps that can turn into more significant problems and even cause the entire system breakdown.
If your system’s maintenance remains avoided, it will undoubtedly lead your system to more significant problems. Whenever you are going to schedule the maintenance of your system, always call the HVAC professionals. The expert technicians will perform an in-depth investigation into your design issues and convey their every requirement to you while giving you a concrete solution. It is recommended to check and change the filters of your HVAC regularly. This can protect you from costly repairs.
The filters of your HVAC system captures dirt and dust, and if you do not clean your filters, it will keep holding captured dust and dirt, hindering the proper circulation of quality air in your home. The dirty filters of your HVAC system not only compel your heat pump to work much more challenging but also it will shorten its lifespan.
Heat Pumps: Some Other Important Facts
The air source heat pump is the most common heat pump type that transfers heat from outside air to your home. Nowadays, heat pumps are coming with enhanced technology that can reduce electricity use by almost 50 percent for heating compared to baseboard heaters and furnaces. Moreover, heat pumps with high efficiency can dehumidify better than central air conditioners, which are considered the standard one. It gives more cooling and comfort while using less energy.
The air-source heat pumps are available in various forms for home without ducts, such as a ductless version of the air-source heat pump is a mini-split heat pump. Reverse cycle chiller is another type of air-source heat pump that generates cold and hot water rather than air and allows it to be used in heating mode with radiant floor heating systems.
Geothermal heat pumps provide more energy efficiency and have low operating costs. The geothermal heat pumps take advantage of water or ground temperatures at a relatively constant rate. Sturdy and reliable in design, they can control humidity and reduce energy use by 30 to 60 percent and can fit in the homes with a wide variety. While choosing a geothermal heat pump, you will need to consider the subsoil, size of your lot, and the landscape. The customer satisfaction with these heat pumps is very high, and the customers can use them even in extreme climates. An absorption heat pump or gas-fired heat pump is new among the systems used for residential areas.
Heat Pumps: Advanced Features
Heat pumps are coming with several innovations that are enhancing their performance. The introduction of two-speed compressors in the heat pumps have made them capable of operating close to the cooling or heating capacities required at a specific moment. Also, two -speed compressors can work efficiently with zone control systems. Some heat pump models are equipped with dual-speed or variable speed motors on the blowers and outdoor fans. These variable speed controls can keep the air moving at a very comfortable velocity and minimize the chilly drafts along with maximizing energy savings. Also, it minimizes the noise coming out from the blowers, which is running at full speed.
Desuperheater has been introduced in many highly efficient heat pumps that can recover wastewater from the cooling mode of heat pumps to heat water. The scroll compressor is another advanced heat pump technology that operates quietly and has a longer life than other systems.
If you want to know about the more advancements that have been introduced in your heat pumps to make them efficient, the Good Guys HVAC professionals are always ready to help you. Call us at 602-763-8503 for heat pump maintenance, repair, and replacement.
Source: Heat Pump Maintenance
