Heat pumps are a new addition to the heating and cooling industry. Many people, therefore, do not know much about them. In this article, we are going to answer the question, “What is a heat pump?”
One of the most common questions that come up as people shop for HVAC equipment is: what is a heat pump? Simply put, it is a device that can heat your home or cool it, similar to what air conditioners and furnaces do. Normal HVAC systems consist of an air conditioner for cooling the air and a furnace for heating the air, but a heat pump can perform both tasks.
Heat pump installation is a complex process and it requires the input of experts such as those found at Galmiche & Sons. Our professionals can not only tell you what a heat pump is, but help you find the right one for your home. In St. Louis, contact us online or by phone at 314-993-1110 to learn more or to purchase a heat pump for your home or business.
What Is a Heat Pump: How Do They Work?
What a heat pump is and how it operates is all in the name. Therefore, a heat pump primarily operates by pumping heat from one point to another. Instead of using electricity or burning gas to produce heat, it carries heat into the house or out of the house. In the winter, heat is pulled from cooler outside air and used to warm the home. It can also reverse the process, and act like an air conditioner during summer, carrying heat away from the home.
Another important factor to consider when answering the question “what is a heat pump” is that there are two main types of heat pumps:
- Geothermal heat pumps – Geothermal systems, in general, obtain heat from below the earth’s surface or underground. A geothermal heat pump contains a tank and pipes that are buried underground, which provide the heat from below the ground surface. The underground temperature remains almost constant making these kinds of heat pumps more efficient. However, the main drawback to geothermal heat pumps is cost as they are generally expensive in initial cost due to the difficult task of burying the pipes underground.
- Air-source heat pumps – These kinds of heat pumps use the outdoor air as the heat sink. This means that when the system needs to warm your home; it draws heat from the air outside and pumps into the home. When it needs to cool the home; it takes heat away from the air indoors and dissipates it outdoors. The advantages of this kind of heat pump are that they are simple to install and you do not need to make many major modifications in your home. Air source heat pumps are also cheaper than geothermal heat pumps to purchase and install. However, the drawbacks are that air-source pumps are less efficient than the geothermal alternative, and they do not function very well on very cold days, meaning a supplemental heater may be required.
What Is a Heat Pump: Learn More!
Now that you have a basic idea of what a heat pump is, you should contact the heating & air conditioning experts at Galmiche & Sons so we can help you find the best model for you. Contact us online or by phone to learn more about heat pumps and to find out which model is right for your St. Louis home or business.
