Very few of us are lucky enough to live in an area where it’s gloriously warm and sunny all year round. So if we’ve doled out hundreds (or even thousands) on an air conditioning unit to keep us comfortable during the summer months, it surely isn’t asking too much that it is also able to keep us warm during the winter months right? Especially if we’re looking to tighten our purse strings. Boilers are not only expensive to purchase and install but they are obscenely expensive to maintain so choosing between an air conditioning unit and a heater should be a difficult one if you live in an area where the amount of cold days are equidistant to the amount of hot days. But that’s before you factor into the equation the fact that many air conditioning units can actually be used as space heaters too. But how does a device built to extract hot air from a room also provide heat? The answer is actually quite simple. In scientific parlance, the term ‘heat pump’ refers to a device that moves heat from one location to another location and by this definition, an air conditioner (and by extension even a refrigerator) is a heat pump as it’s used (traditionally) to create a temperate atmosphere by moving heat around.

Technically, any device that can potentially be used to provide heating and cooling to the same space is considered a heat pump and as the name suggests, this means that any heat pump can be used as a heater. The basic scientific principal is almost identical to the way in which the air conditioner works its cooling ‘magic’, only in this instance, the cycle is being reversed.ac unit for car To understand the basics, you really need to get your head around the ‘vapour-compression refrigeration cycle’, a principal which is the same whether your air conditioner is the size of a coffee table or a small car. air conditioner unit no windowThe process works via a chemical refrigerant that carries heat from one part of the system to another and then releases it.outdoor ac unit turns on and off

First the chemical is compressed into a high pressure, intensely hot gas that is then pumped into a long tube called a ‘coil’. As the refrigerant (most likely a chemical called ‘Freon’) flows through the coil and heat is extracted through a fan. After it has cooled down, the gas is transformed back into a liquid state and is then passed into an expansion valve, which lowers the pressure of the chemical before pumping into the ‘evaporator’. Effectively another coil, the evaporator is where the chemical turns into a gas by pulling heat from the air. As gas absorbs the heat, the cold air produced is blown into the room. It is essentially a complicated but efficient way of transferring heat from the inside to the outside.With the addition of a reversing valve, the flow of energy can be reversed, effectively transforming the air conditioner into a heater! Air conditioning units that are able to do this will have a specific ‘heating mode‘. When this mode is engaged, the flow of coolant shifts direction so that the hot coils become cold and the cold coils become hot.

Whereas when it’s in standard mode, the cold air gets pumped into the room and the warm air gets expelled outside, when heating mode is engaged, the warm air gets pumped into the room and the cold air gets expelled. For two reasons really – the economic and the environmental (as well as the obvious extra space). A heat pump will generally use less electricity than a heater because conventional resistance heaters actually convert the electricity itself into heat. A heat pump though is taking advantage of natural processes so the electricity used to operate it is only used to power the individual components in the device, not create the heat. This means heat pumps are far more energy efficient. Heat pumps are becoming more popular as we become more environmentally conscious and tighter fisted when it comes to where and how we spend our money. There are factors to keep in mind however if you’re considering jumping on the bandwagon. For one, even portable heat pumps need to be vented outside so there is always some form of ‘installation’ or ‘assembly’ required and even in heating mode, the air is still being ‘conditioned’ which means the humidity will still be removed from the air (so you’ll need to empty the ‘condensation tank’ on occasion).

Also a heat pump will not be as effective as a conventional heater if the temperature of the room is too low (below 45 fahrenheit) as it’s less efficient to move heat when temperatures are close to freezing. Of course if your unit is installed properly many of these issues will be circumvented entirely.  means that you’ll have an experienced, thoughtful staff on hand to show you how to operate your system and what to do if there are any problems with it. So is it sensible to use your air conditioning unit as a heater? Absolutely, but make sure you do your research first! AUTHOR: George Torres owns a small air conditioning company that actively promotes the use of air conditioners during the winter months as it can then be used all year round!Summer’s just about here, and you’ve probably had to kick on the air conditioning a few times already. For some people, that’s the beginning of a series of very big electric bills. But while a typical central air conditioning unit uses 3,500 watts of energy when running, the average ceiling fan uses only 60 watts — even when running on high.

That means if running your ceiling fan all day allows you to cut down on your AC usage — even by just a half hour a day — you could feasibly save a lot of money over time. Of course, you can save even more energy (and money) if you do some careful planning and tinkering when it comes to using your ceiling fans. Here are some tactics you can try to decrease your energy usage and increase your savings. Most fans have a “clockwise” setting and a “counterclockwise” setting, each appropriate for a different season. There are conflicting accounts of which direction to use and when, because the direction you want to use depends on how the blades are aligned, and that can vary by model. Luckily, there’s an easy way to determine the direction your fan should rotate in summer: Stand beneath the fan and turn it on. If you immediately feel a breeze from the fan, then it’s set on the “summer” setting, usually counterclockwise. Otherwise, turn off the fan, climb up near the base of the fan, and look for a little button or switch that sets the fan to run in the opposite direction.

During the summer, you should have your ceiling fans running on high with the air blowing down directly below the fan. This creates the most air movement in the center of the room, which is where you need it most for the “breeze” effect, which will feel cool on your skin. In the winter, however, your fan should be running in the opposite direction to circulate warm air through the room. (Again, just flip the switch or push the button near the base of the fan.) Blades running in this direction will pull air up in the center of the room and push it down again near the edges. This forces warm air and cool air to mix in the room, keeping the room at a steadier temperature (not allowing heat to build up at the top and coolness to settle on the floor), so your furnace won’t have to work quite so hard to keep the house warm. You’ll feel this effect if you stand near the wall in a room – a gentle, warm breeze will blow over you. If you’re going to run ceiling fans constantly in your home on a hot day, raise the temperature on your thermostat by a few degrees.

Your ceiling fan doesn’t directly cool the air by itself, but it helps circulate the cool air better. It also creates a breeze effect that makes the room feel cooler than it actually is. With a programmable thermostat, you can set your air conditioning unit to turn off and on based on when you’ll be home. Unfortunately, most ceiling fans don’t offer this perk; instead, you’ll have to turn them on and off yourself. Doing so can lead to big savings, however, which is why this step is important. If you’re worried you’ll forget, include turning off the ceiling fans in your daily ritual as you leave for work. Turn off the lights, lock the doors, and turn off your ceiling fans. Almost any home can be made more energy efficient by installing a ceiling fan or two if you don’t already have them. Here are a few suggestions to keep in mind when shopping for a new ceiling fan. The very first thing you should look at with a new ceiling fan is the blade angle. If the angle is below 12 degrees, the fan will be largely decorative and will just eat energy without significant air movement.

Ideally, you want the blades to push air upward or downward. If your blades are at a low angle (meaning nearly flat), they won’t do either – instead, they’ll have much the same effect as an airplane wing. They’ll just cut through the air without pushing the air at all. A 12-degree angle should be the minimum you purchase, and ideally you’ll buy one with a higher-degree angle. Blades with a 16-degree angle or above push a lot of air, feeling much like a box fan attached to your ceiling. That’s great for cooling off, but it might be overwhelming in some situations. Get a fan with blades angled between 12 and 14 degrees in a room where you might have papers out or may otherwise not want a strong breeze. But in general-use rooms, aim for a fan whose blades are angled at 14 degrees or more. You might not think it’s necessary now, but if you’re installing the fan in a room without perfect lighting – or replacing a light fixture with a ceiling fan – you’re going to want more lighting in the room.

When in doubt, get the light assembly now – it’ll save you consternation and money later on. Even better, ceiling fans with lighting are not much more expensive. And if you end up using the lights frequently, it could actually save you money over the long haul. If you’re buying a new ceiling fan, you can expect to spend anywhere from $49 for a small, inexpensive model to $500 for one with a lot of power and a custom design. You can also look for used ones on Craigslist or building reuse stores. Just make sure the size of the fan matches the size of your room — otherwise, you’ll pay more for the fan itself and use more energy to power it than necessary. A 44-inch fan is most common, and is about right for an average-sized bedroom or kitchen. A bigger, 50- to 54-inch fan is better suited to large living rooms or great rooms. And for a small bedroom, a 36- to 40-inch fan should suffice. Of course, buying a ceiling fan is only part of the equation. Then there’s the cost of professional installation, which can cost as much as $100 to $314.

You can hire an electrician or handyman to install a ceiling fan, and a pro can usually install a basic one in just an hour — however, it’s common for electricians and other tradespeople to charge a two-hour minimum for a service call, so get all of your fans installed at once if possible. Installing a ceiling fan is a fairly straightforward do-it-yourself project, and can add to your savings tremendously. Follow this tutorial from This Old House or watch these YouTube videos for step-by-step instructions. Get 2x Points on All Your Travel and Dining >> A Great Way To Pay Off Debt With A No Interest Credit Card Get rid of high interest debt with a 0% balance transfer credit card Get A Free Trip This Summer by using the Right Card Earn credit card points toward your favorite ways to travel Foreign Transaction Fees with These Top Picks Save money and expand your travel budget by packing any one of these cards on your trip 6 Credit Cards That Can't Be Beat in 2016