In our region, air-source heat pumps represent one of the best ways to condition your home. Heat pumps have reversing valves that make them capable of moving heat inside or outside, depending on the season. Heat pumps use refrigerant to gather the heat and when the reversing valve changes direction, the refrigerant flow changes direction.
It’s easy to switch from cooling to heating with a heat pump, and since they don’t use fuel to create heat, they offer greater safety. These systems collect the heat in the summer and take it outside. In the winter, they collect heat and send it indoors.
In mild climates like ours, a heat pump is the only appliance you need to keep your home comfortable. These systems have to meet the same efficiency standards as central air conditioners, which currently stand at minimum 13 SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio). Heat pumps have a separate rating to describe their heating efficiency, called the HSPF (heating season performance factor), which is a minimum of 7.7.
Options exist for air-source heat pumps that can increase your indoor comfort and lower energy bills.
- Desuperheaters. The heat pump takes the waste heat from your home and uses it to heat water in storage water tanks, which saves the energy it takes to provide hot water during warm weather.
- Scroll compressors. This type of compressor is especially useful in colder climates where winter heating demands are higher. This type also provides more efficient cooling in the summer and has a longer functional life than a standard piston compressor.
- Electronically commutated motors (ECMs). When these are used in the indoor air handler, the air handler runs much more quietly and uses a fraction of the electricity a single-speed motor does. This option increases comfort by removing more indoor humidity and airborne particulates.
If you’d like more information about air-source heat pumps, contact Around the Clock Heating and Air Conditioning. We’ve provided HVAC services for the greater Los Angeles area since 1967.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Los Angeles, North Hollywood and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about air-source heat pumps and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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