When it comes to heating and cooling your home or place of business there are many options out there that can get somewhat confusing if you are not familiar with the technology. You may be wondering, "But, how do heat pumps work?" A heat pump will take heat from natural heat sources, such as the air, ground or even water and use a small amount of high quality energy to drive to force heat flow out into the home.
If you have a hot tub or swimming pool, you may already have a heat pump and understand a little about how it works. A simple analogy is that, like your refrigerator, heat pumps use electricity to move heat from a cool space to a warm space, making the cool space cooler and the warm space warmer. (Source- Department of Energy) Because heat pumps move heat rather than generate heat, heat pumps can provide equivalent space conditioning at as little as one quarter of the cost of operating conventional heating or cooling appliances.
Below are some of the advantages of having a heat pump in your home.
Lower Running Cost -
Heat pumps tend to run cheaper than your normal system that is based on combustion. Heat pumps are much more energy efficient and provide a greater long term savings on money AND energy.
Less Maintenance -
Heat pumps are very reliable and because of this, they tend to need very little maintenance. You should schedule a yearly inspection to ensure that your heat pump is still running efficiently and needs no repairs.
Provides Cooling as Well -
An added benefit of a heat pump is that during warm periods, heat pumps are able to act like an AC unit. They can conveniently be switched to the cooling mode for those hot summer days.
Longer Life-Span -
The life-span of a heat pump is actually quite long, up to 50 years! Although, the average life-span is anywhere between 14 and 15 years long. Heat pumps are extremely reliable and provide a consistent amount of heat.