What Makes Heat Pumps Special?

You’ve wondered about replacing your old central HVAC system ever since you moved to Charleston, South Carolina, and if you’ve been searching for a new system, you’ve likely come across the heat pump. But what is a heat pump? What makes it different from your standard central air conditioner? A heat pump offers both the cooling comfort of AC and the cozy heating of a furnace in one unit, as well as other benefits. Here’s how.

What Makes Heat Pumps Different?

Your central AC unit circulates refrigerant through a closed-loop system in order to cool your air. Your system pumps that refrigerant through a compressor unit that places heat and pressure on the refrigerant, which allows the compressor coil to transfer the heat from the refrigerant to the outside air. The refrigerant then travels back into evaporator coils in your indoor air handler, pulling heat from your air and consequently cooling it. Fans blow that cooled air through your home. Heat pumps are best used in moderate climates, as their heating efficiency drops if temperatures are sustained below freezing for long periods of time.

While your air conditioning unit does its job well, it’s basically a one-trick pony. It can cool your air, but if you want heat in the winter, you also need a furnace that uses combustion to heat your air. A heat pump, on the other hand, can both heat and cool your home with one unit. Heat pumps also used a closed-loop system, but the system on a heat pump can blow hot air into the home as well as release it outside.

What Are the Benefits of Heat Pumps?

As a two-in-one system, heat pumps offer a variety of benefits. Not only does this system take up less space in your home, but it will also take up less of your budget by cutting utility costs thanks to higher energy efficiency.

Heat pumps offer the comfort benefits of both an air conditioner and a furnace while also providing higher energy efficiency. To have a heat pump installed in your home, call M & B Heating and Air at 843-628-1775.

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