When one talks about cooling a hot building, or even their
homes, they most probably don't think of heat pumps. In fact, the words air conditioners
are most likely the first to pop up in one’s head unless they are not within
their budget. If that might be the case, then one might decide to go with
window fans. As it turns out, a heat pump has both heating as well as cooling
functions and in some applications, it is given more preference rather than
having separate heating and cooling systems.
Putting it in lay man’s terms, a heat pump is basically a device that uses a
small amount of energy in order to move heat from one place to another. Not so
technical right? Heat pumps are typically used to absorb the heat out from the
air or ground so as to heat a home or an office building, but they can be
dually used to cool a building as well. Air conditioners and heat pumps both
serve the purpose of altering the properties of the air to more favorable ones.
In a way, if one is aware
as to how an air conditioner operates, then they already know about the
respective mechanisms of a heat pump. This is so because heat pumps and air
conditioners both operate in a very similar way.
One of
the biggest advantages of a heat pump over a standard HVAC unit is that there
is absolutely no need to install separate systems to heat and cool one’s home.
Heat pumps also work quite efficiently, because they simply transfer the heat,
rather than burn fuel to produce it. This makes them a little more environment
friendly as compared to a gas-burning furnace.
Plus, they don't just heat and cool buildings. If one’s ever experienced
enjoying a hot tub or heated swimming pool, then they probably have a heat pump
to thank for it. These work best in moderate climates, so if one doesn’t experience
extreme heat and cold in their neck of the woods, then using a heat pump
instead of an air conditioner could help them save a little bit of money every month.