difference between heat pump ac unit

Air conditioners and heat pumps utilize evaporator and condenser coils to move heat. Contrary to popular belief, there’s no “coolness generator” anywhere inside an A/C. The cooling comfort your air conditioner produces is created by removing heat energy from indoor air, moving it outside and then dispersing it into outdoor air. These functions are handled by the evaporator and condenser coils. In the closed-loop system of a typical air conditioner, refrigerant circulates continuously between the indoor evaporator coil and the outdoor condenser coil. In its frigid, vaporous state, refrigerant has high heat absorbing properties. As it circulates through the evaporator coil installed in the indoor air handler, warm household air is drawn through the coil by the blower. Heat energy is transferred by the evaporator coil surfaces into the cold refrigerant, which is conveyed through an insulated line from the air handler to the outdoor condenser unit. At the outdoor unit, a compressor pressurizes the refrigerant, concentrating molecules of heat energy.

The hot refrigerant gas enters the condenser coil, where it expands and condenses to a liquid. As refrigerant condenses inside the condenser coil, heat energy is rapidly released. The coil fan blowing over the condenser surface disperses this heat into outdoor air. Back to the Beginning After leaving the condenser coil, the refrigerant circles back to the evaporator coil as a liquid under high pressure. Passing through an expansion valve, evaporation occurs and the refrigerant converts back to a frigid gas inside the evaporator coil. This process of transferring indoor heat outdoors continues as a continuous loop. Made for Each Other In today’s air conditioners, the evaporator and condenser coils are a matched set, engineered to accommodate your air conditioner's specific BTU capacity. Likewise, accurately determining the BTU requirements of your home is crucially dependent on the heat load calculation performed by an HVAC professional. When all the numbers are crunched and the components are matched, the result is maximum comfort and optimum efficiency.

Feel free to contact Andrews Auld Heating & Cooling in Western North Carolina for more information about selecting and maintaining evaporator and condenser coils. Our goal is to help educate our customers in Franklin, North Carolina and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
20 ton ac unit for saleFor more information about evaporator and condenser coils and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
through wall ac heater units What Is Forced Air Heating?
ac unit for a 1500 sq ft house Chances are that you’ve heard the term forced air heating before, particularly if you’re in the market for a new home heating system. But what does that actually mean?

The truth is that if you’re asking this question, you’re not alone. There are so many types of home heating systems out there that it’s common to be a bit confused and overwhelmed by it all. The truth is that a forced air heating system is simply a heating system that distributes heat throughout your house using air to carry it. In this type of system, heated air travels through a system of ducts and is expelled through vents into the different rooms and areas of your home in order to maintain a particular temperature. That temperature, of course, is whatever you set your thermostat to, and when the desired temperature is reached, the heat will shut off until the temperature drops down again. The main difference between the different types of forced air heating systems is the type of equipment that heats the air. For instance, you could have a gas furnace, an electric furnace, a heat pump or a hydronic coil. All of these are capable of heating air, and when paired with a fan, blower or air handler, can distribute heated air throughout your home.

Many forced air heating systems are remarkably energy efficient and can effectively keep you home comfortable all winter long. Additionally, they are generally made to be incorporated with central air conditioning systems for year round temperature control. Heat pumps are especially convenient in this way, as they’re able to both heat and cool your home depending on the season and your home comfort needs. Particularly if you already have ductwork in place or if you’re choosing a heating system for a new construction home, it can make a lot of sense to opt for some type of forced air heating. However, if you’re looking to replace an existing heating system in a house that doesn’t already have ductwork in place, the need to put it in can add a lot to the overall installation costs of the system. Tags: forced air, Holicong, Montgomery County, Schwenksville, Tylersport Monday, March 28th, 2011 at 8:00 am | 10 posts, read 28,466 times 87 posts, read 212,793 times

3,644 posts, read 5,415,159 times 17,846 posts, read 42,258,990 times 210 posts, read 464,490 times 1,902 posts, read 2,757,279 times I lived in a house with heatpump heating ONCE - never again!!!!!! It is too cold - gas heat for me!!!!! 79 posts, read 270,105 times 146 posts, read 344,616 timesIn cold climates, dual-fuel heat pumps (different from heat pumps used in the South) replace your air conditioner and save you money for both heating and cooling. In cold climates, dual-fuel heat pumps (different from heat pumps used in the South) replace your air conditioner and save you money for both heating and cooling. By the DIY experts of The Family Handyman Magazine Pumping cheap heat out of thin air Getting Your Energy Source From the Sun May Save You CFL Bulbs: Here's What You Need to Know Conventional heat pumps have been heating and cooling homesIn fact, about one in three homes in the United States already

However, there aren't many north of the Mason-Dixon Line because they don't work efficiently in subfreezingThese heat pumps are great at pumping heat in or out of a house in moderate temperature swings like those found in the Sun Belt. inefficient and expensive to run in “Dual-fuel” heat pumps are different. Attached to your existing furnace, this system looks (and works, during the summer) like a high-efficiency central air conditioner. However, in those mild spring and fall months in the snowbelt, they provide cheap heat just as well as they do inAs the temperatures drop, the pump shuts off and tells your furnace to A dual-fuel heat pump, such as Lennox's XP-14, will cost about 20 to 25 percent more (including installation) than an A/C. Depending on your region and fuel costs, however, it can pay for itself in five or six years. Heating With a Dual-Fuel Heat Pump As long as the temperature is

above 35 degrees F or so, a heat pump can pull heat from the outside air for less than it costs to fire in for only the coldest months. Heat pumps save energy because transferring heat is easier when it feels cold outside, there is still a decent amount of heat waiting conditions, a heat pump can transfer 300 percent more energy high-efficiency gas furnace is about 90 percent efficient. Check Into Tax Credits In addition to saving money in the long run, a dual-fuel heat pump might pay you back right away. This upgrade may qualify for an energy-savings tax credit plusAsk your utility company and HVAC installer about available incentives in your area. As shown in Figure A, an air-source heat pump is basically a hybrid air conditioner. Both have a compressor (a high-pressure pump) that circulates refrigerant (a volatile gas) through indoor and outdoor coils, a network of tubes designed to facilitate the

capture and release of heat. But while an air conditioner can move refrigerant in only one direction, a heat pump can force refrigerant in either direction, for heating one way and cooling the other. does this by means of an extra diverting device called a switchover valve. To figure out whether a heat pump is practical for your home, you'll need to contact a heating contractor and ask a 1. Start with a Heating and Cooling LoadDon't trust the label on the oldask your installer to show youAccording to some reports, there's a good chance that your system may not have been sized correctly in the first place. was sized properly originally, subsequent home insulation, new windows or an addition) can change your heating and cooling needs. 2. Check the numbers. but one number can higher the SEER, the more efficient units with higher ratios cost more, but every two points can reduce cooling costs by