To receive full energy savings and home comfort from your heat pump, it’s important to keep it running smoothly. To do this, it helps to understand a heat pump’s primary components and features, and how they work to heat and cool your home efficiently all year long.
Heat pump 101
Heat pumps can deliver up to 300 percent more heat energy for your home than they consume. This eclipses the most efficient furnaces. By focusing on three key factors, you’ll harness your heat pump’s full potential:
- Heat transfer: This is key for heat-pump efficiency. No electricity is consumed to make heat. A heat pump only requires energy to transfer heat. The compressor pumps refrigerant through the system. It releases heat at the condenser, extracts heat at the evaporator (heat exchangers), and then repeats the process.
- Cycling: The reversing valve controls which direction the refrigerant is pumped. The process for heat transfer (extraction and release) is the same no matter which direction the refrigerant is flowing. The key for defining heating and cooling modes is to which heat exchanger (condenser or evaporator) the reversing valve directs the compressed refrigerant first. This is because heat exchangers perform two services. In heating mode, refrigerant is pumped to the indoor condenser and releases heat. In cooling mode, the refrigerant is pumped to the outdoor condenser and releases heat, while the indoor evaporator extracts heat from your home.
- Airflow: Two blowers regulate airflow. They pull air across the heat exchangers, activating heat transfer. The purpose of the indoor blower is to circulate the heated or cooled air of the heat transfer through your home’s duct system. The function of the outdoor blower is to expel the resulting air away.
Handling and care
With light maintenance between your regular annual maintenance, you can help your heat pump’s performance.
- Keep weeds, dirt, ice and snow away from the outside unit.
- Periodically wipe the indoor fan and coils.
- Change air filters regularly.
- Keep your air-supply registers clear of obstructions.
- For best results, schedule regular maintenance with your heating and cooling pro.
Call Mowery Heating, Air Conditioning and Plumbing in the Greater Indianapolis area. We’re the proud recipient of Angie’s List Super Service Award five years running, and have provided expert heating, cooling and plumbing service for more than 40 years.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
Mowery services the Brownsburg, Indiana and the surrounding areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!
