What is a Heat Pump and How Does It Work?
A Heat Pump is an electrical device that takes heat from one place and transfers it to another. A heat pump transfers heat by circulating environmentally friendly refrigerant through a cycle of evaporation and condensation. A compressor then pumps the refrigerant between two heat exchange coils. In one coil the refrigerant is evaporated at low pressure and absorbs the heat from the surroundings. The refrigerant is then compressed on the way to the other coil where it condenses at high pressure. Now the heat pump releases the heat it absorbed earlier in the cycle. This process is reversible for the summer months and the heat pump acts as a cooling system.
How Do You Measure A Heat Pump's Efficiency?
Heat pumps provide both cooling and heating, so the efficiency is measured in two different ways. When the heat pump cools, a SEER rating or Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio measures the efficiency. The SEER rating is similar to gas mileage on a car. The higher the SEER rating the more efficient it is. Most of today's heat pumps have a SEER rating between 13.0 and 19.0 SEER. When the heat pump heats the home, a Heating Seasonal Performance Factor or HSPF rates the efficiency. The HSPF rating works the same way as the SEER rating does. The higher the HSPF, the more efficient the system is. Most new units today have a HSPF rating between 7.7 to 9.0 HSPF.
Is The Refrigerant Used In A Heat Pump Safe For The Environment?
Both Carrier and Lennox heat pumps use envronmentally friendly R-410A refrigerant. This refrigerant does not deplete the ozone layer and is seen as the logical replacement for Freon R-22. Carrier beat the competition by six years and introduced Puron refrigerant or R-410A. Use of R-410A adds to the efficiency and realiability of a heat pump.
