Heat Pumps
Overview:
So you
think you want to install an air source heat pump in your
home as a contribution to reduce global warming. Well you
may help in the prevention of global warming but depending
upon where you live you may be giving up personal comfort.
Having lived in areas where heat pumps are common I can
assure you that they are a poor source of heat and do little
to prevent global warming.
Air source heat pumps are the
most common type of home heat pump because they are the
easiest and least expensive to install. Essentially a home
air source heat pump is nothing more than an air conditioner
working in reverse, thanks to a device known as a reversing
valve. The system consists of two sections, an outdoor
section consisting of a compressor, a coil, a fan and a
reversing valve and an inside section that consists of a
fan, indoor coil, and a supplemental heating element,
usually electric coils. Tubing containing a liquid
refrigerant and electrical circuits connects the two units
together.
When the
heat pump is in
heating mode, the liquid refrigerant
literally takes warmth out of the outside air, if there is
any, and carries it to the indoor coil where the blower
moves filtered indoor air over the coil and out into your
home. When in cooling mode, the unit operates similar to a
central air conditioner. The warm air passes over the indoor
coil and gives up its heat, which the refrigerant carries
outside to be dissipated by the outdoor fan as it passes
through the outdoor coil.
When the
outside air temperature is below 35 – 40 degrees there isn't
enough heat in the outside air to provide sufficient heat
for your home. Frequently the outside components frost up
during cold weather rendering the system inoperative until
the temperature gets warm enough to thaw it out. Because the
air heat pump system is so limited at providing adequate
heat it is necessary for a supplement heating element,
usually electric coils.
They automatically turn on to
provide the heat needed to make your home comfortable in
really cold weather. As a result your heating cost goes
through the roof. Rather than an air source heat pump for
home heating and cooling a ground source, geothermal, heat
pumps is an alternative. Geothermal heat pumps use the earth
or underground water as either the source of heat when
warming your home or as a heat sink when cooling your home.
The
geothermal systems consist of a series of pipes buried
beneath the ground. During heating, an ethanol solution is
circulated through pipes as a heating conductor. It picks up
heat from the ground or water and carries it back into your
home. Since the ground below the frost line remains at a
relatively constant temperature all year round 60 to 70
degrees depending upon where you live, it provides a better
source of heat in low outside temperatures.
The ethanol
solution runs through an air handler that consists of a
coil, a blower/fan and an air filter where it give up its
heat to the air moving across the coil. The blower
distributes the heat directly through your home's existing
air distribution system. A geothermal heat pump uses less
energy and electricity to operate and doesn’t usually
require an alternative heat source as an air source heat
pump does in really cold weather.
The
climate in your location will be is a major factor on
whether a heat pump will actually work for you and produce
sufficient heat for your home. If you live in an area where
there are dramatic swings in temperatures, below zero, a
heat pump alone won't be able to heat your home because
there isn't enough heat in the outside air or ground to heat
your home.
You will require some form of supplemental heat.
Unless you live in an area where climate is very warm most
of the year and outside temperatures do not fall below 40
degrees, you will be better off using either natural gas or
an oil heating system. Natural
gas and oil is substantially more efficient and less
expensive than electricity. You should evaluate and compare
the costs of a natural gas and oil heating system versus a
heat pump.
Related articles:
Heating Cost Savings
Heating System Tune Up
Radiators to Heat Your Home
Space
Heaters
Under Floor Heat System
|
DIY
Home Improvement Plus