Have you ever wondered exactly what a heat pump is?

It pumps hot or cold air from one place to another when there’s a temperature difference in the two places. When this happens, heat travels from the warmer spot to the colder spot, or vice versa.

Did you know that the heat pump actually makes the air COLDER in order to send warm air into your home? In the Winter, your heat pump pulls the cold air from outside and the coldness is pulled from it. The heat pump actually uses the refrigerant cycle to increase the temperature of the refrigerant and transfer it throughout your home! In the Summer, the process is just the opposite! The warm air is removed and pushed back outside while the cool air is chilled and sent through your home!

While one of the best benefits of a heat pump is that it can be used for heating and cooling, there are other benefits as well! They help control humidity, airflow and filtration of the air inside your home! Another benefit would be the cost overall! While they are an investment when having a new system installed, they don’t depend on the rollercoaster pricing of oil or other heating fuels. Electricity pricing is overall constant and don’t change from month to month or even day to day.

Though the positives are much more obvious, negative aspects are decreasing all the time as technology improves! Sometimes heat pumps can be less efficient on the hottest of Summer or coldest of Winter days. Newer models of heat pumps have variable speeds, etc. which assist in helping it perform. A negative to some would be that heat pumps don’t put out the powerful heat that fireplaces or wood stoves might, though many don’t enjoy the smell of those options.

A heat pump could be the best solution for your family! If your home is energy efficient, a heat pump will give you the best peak performance. Great insulation and few air leaks are key! The design of the ductwork in your home and size of the unit are very important as well. Heat pumps are a great help in hot Summer months because they help with dehumidifying the cool air. There are so many options with adding technology to them from controlling them by your phone to being able to set the times that the temperature adjusts!

If you think a heat pump or maybe even just an upgrade to your current system might be for you, we’d be happy to speak with you about it!