1/21/2024 0 Comments Ac pump replacement![]() Here are the main components of an air-to-air heat-pump system: Closed refrigerant loop (A) No longer limited to locales with winter lows above 40 degrees F, today’s cold-climate heat pumps can heat a home efficiently when the outdoor temperature dips as low as −15 degrees F. While they have been in use for decades in milder climates, new technologies within just the last five years make them a viable option even in the Snowbelt. Here’s an overview of how air-source systems work, as well as the fundamentals of ground-source technology Air-to-air heat pumpsĪir-to-air heat pumps are the most affordable type and easiest to retrofit into a house. Heat pumps are defined by their heat source and transfer medium. The whole system reverses in winter, so warm refrigerant heats up interior air, then gets expanded, dropping its temperature so low that it’s colder than the outside air it picks up heat outside, which gets compressed and becomes warmer than the inside air, and the warmth transfers into the cooler home. That refrigerant is compressed in the heat pump, concentrating the heat so that it becomes hotter than the outdoor temperature that heat then moves to the less hot outdoor air. The blower pushes out that cool air, which moves through the ductwork and is delivered via supply registers (return registers cycle indoor air back into the system). When a forced-air system powered by a heat pump is in AC mode, heat from indoor air transfers to a coil of cold refrigerant in the air handler. But a reversing valve changes the direction of the refrigerant flow in winter, carrying heat indoors. ![]() Inside the Cooling Cycle Heat-pump equipment resembles a standard central AC system and works the same way in summer. Here’s what you need to know in order to make the switch to a heat-pump-based HVAC system. Government incentives can lower the cost of upgrading with heat pumps considerably, too, thanks to last year’s Inflation Reduction Act (for more details, see Home Finances, page 44). Many cold-weather air-source heat pumps now reliably work down to -15 degrees F, and there are water-source systems that supply heating, cooling, and domestic hot water. And if you generate your own electricity with rooftop solar panels, it can make your heating and cooling nearly carbon neutral. Because the system is powered by electricity, it’s cleaner and greener than home-based combustion systems that rely on oil, natural gas, or propane. In winter, it does the opposite, gathering heat outdoors-even on an ice-cold day-and bringing it inside. In summer, it works just like an air conditioner, pulling warmth out of the indoor air and dumping it outside. That’s because rather than creating energy, a heat pump transfers energy. While the basic technology has been around for decades, these heat pumps have evolved significantly, delivering heating even in cold climates up to 50 percent more efficiently than conventional heating systems, and cooling with the same efficiency as new air-conditioning equipment. ![]() For very little additional cost over standard air-conditioning, you get a single system for all seasons that doesn’t burn fossil fuels on-site.” -Ross Trethewey, TOH home technology expert
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