A heat pump is an HVAC device that can both heat and cool your home. In hot weather, it takes the hot air out of your house. In cold weather, it pushes warm air into your home.
How does a heat pump work?
Air-source heat pumps transfer heat by circulating refrigerant through an evaporation and condensation cycle. First, one coil evaporates refrigerant at low pressure, so the refrigerant absorbs heat. Then, as the gaseous refrigerant moves to the other coil, it condenses at high pressure and releases the stored heat.
The heat pump is fully reversible, so it can cool in summers and heat in winters.
Heat pumps are very energy efficient, easy to install, and quiet to operate. Unlike gas furnaces, they don’t produce carbon monoxide. And they circulate humid air so they won’t dry out your skin or nose like a furnace’s dry heat can.
On the other hand, they produce less heat than furnaces do, and are less efficient at temperatures below freezing. Heat pumps aren’t a good option in areas with prolonged or severely cold weather. But in more temperate areas with mild winters, a heat pump is a great option.
Call Prestige Heating & Air Conditioning today at (281) 288-6211 to schedule an appointment to see if a heat pump would be a good option for your home.