What is a Heat Pump?

The heat pumps being sold today are the most efficient way to cool and heat your home. Heat pumps have been referred to as a "magic appliance", because they use refrigeration technology (rather than fuel combustion) to provide heat and cooling, and because heat pumps can "extract" warm air to heat your home from outside even when the temperature is as low as 30 degrees (F). Heat pumps work on the principle that heat exists in air even when the air temperature is cool. Most heat pumps are split-system models, and have one coil indoors and one coil outdoors. When the heat pump is functioning as a heater, the air outside the home is used to evaporate a refrigerant in the outdoor coil. In this process, heat from the outside air is extracted as it evaporates the liquid refrigerant in the coil, converting the liquid refrigerant into a warm gas. The gas is then compressed and is transferred from the outdoor coil to the indoor coil. Once indoors, the gas is condensed which releases heat in the process, and the heat is distributed through the house using fans but built into the heat pump and the home?s ductwork. When the heat pump is working to cool your home, the ductwork and fans bring the warm air in the home to the compressor unit. The compressor unit then uses the same gas evaporation/compression process it uses to heat your home, but this time in reverse, to extract the warm air from the home and send it outside. So maybe you don?t believe that heat pumps are magic, but the performance and efficiency of heat pumps have made believers out of many satisfied homeowners.

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Benefits of Heat Pumps

The primary benefits of heat pumps are that they are economical, functional, and environmentally friendly, when they are compared to other popular cooling and heating appliances. Economical heat pumps: Heat pumps move heat from the outdoors to indoors on cold days, or from indoors to outdoors on hot days. Heat pumps require energy to power the system and circulate the air, but they are significantly more efficient than furnaces and air conditioning systems that require owners to purchase all of the power used in the heating and cooling process. Additionally, you can purchase an integrated heat pump system that, in addition to heating and cooling your home, will also use its excess energy to heat the water in your water heater tank. Functional heat pumps: Heat pumps tend to heat and cool a home in a more even fashion. They have a reputation for eliminating the hot and cold spots cause by furnaces and air conditioners. Because the warm air initially generated by heat pumps is not as hot as the warm air generated by furnaces (particularly gas), homes maintain a more even level of temperature and humidity. Environmental heat pumps: The bottom line here is that heat pumps use less energy than other methods of cooling and heating your home. And unlike gas furnaces, a heat pump will not add combustion byproducts to your home: no pilot lights, no fumes, no odors, and no need to ventilate noxious gases from the heating process. Unlike gas furnaces, heat pumps do not require air from outside the home for combustion, so spores and pollen aren't drawn into your house during allergy season. Because heat pumps run for a longer amount of time than furnaces, they also cycle the air for a longer amount of time and filter the air more thoroughly, which makes the air cleaner.

Should you buy a heat pump?

If you are not sure whether or not you should buy a heat pump, answering these six questions mahy help you decid

1. Does your current heating and/or air conditioning system need to be replaced now or will it need to be replaced soon?
2. Are you willing to spend more on appliances to get models that are functionally superior?
3. Do you try to lead your life in a way that protects the environment and minimizes global warming?
4. Does anyone in your household have asthma or sensitivity to airborne allergans?
5. Are you sensitive to temperature and find yourself uncomfortable with the heating/cooling and humidity generated by your current system?
6. Are you willing to make an investment in a major appliance now that should pay itself and save you money over the years that you use it? YES or NO

If you answered YES to one or more of these questions, heat pumps may be a sensible purchase for you. Some factors may provide more motivation than others, for instance if a member of your household has severe or life-threatening asthma, or if you have a strong desire take actions to slow global warming. Splise encourages you to use this site to begin to research heat pumps, and to consider upgrading your heating and ventilation system to a new heat pump system. If you are interested enough to get quotes on a heat pump system for your home, you can tap into United Home Improvement's network of qualified and pre-screened service professionals who can help find and install the best products for your home. Click here to fill out a short form, and you can get up to three free quotes from service professional in your community.

What's New About Heat Pumps?

If you're home has a heat pump that was installed many years ago and you're wondering what's new about heat pumps, the answer is "plenty". The new generation of heat pumps are one-and-a-half to two times more efficient (require less electricity to heat or cool your home) than older heat pumps. Variable speed blowers are now used. They are not only more efficient, but they are more effective at making homes more uniformly heated or cooled. Other improvements have been made to many parts of the heat pump, including coil designs, tubing production, expansion valves, motors and compressors. Heat pumps have become quiter and less prone to breakdown, addressing two common problems with previous models. Heat pumps are now able to provide heat when outside temperatures are as low as 30 degrees (F), and some new specialized models even function at 15 degrees (F), making heat pumps useful on more days of the year and in more parts of the country. If you are using a twenty or thirty year-old heat pump, the efficiency and operational improvements resulting from recent improvements might be enough for you to consider buying a new heat pump, even if your old heat pump is still functioning properly.

Selecting a Heat Pump

Most people who buy a heat pump get the help of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) service professional. The service professional interviews the homeowner, evaluates what type of system is optimal for the home, calculates optimal capacity, and provides a quote for the entire project. Once the homeowner signs off on the project, the service professional usually purchases the system on behalf of the homeowner, installs the system, and makes all necessary adjustments to get the system functioning properly. We have provided this comprehensive, yet concise buyer's guide so that you can become a more informed heat pump shopper. Even if you work with a service professional to buy and install your heat pump, you?re more likely to be satisfied at the end of the project if you understand your options at the beginning. With the help of this buyer?s guide, you can learn how heat pumps work, understand the different factors that will be involved in the buying process, and browse the top heat pump brands.

Click here to see our selection of Top Heat Pump Brands