How Heat Pumps Work During Summer & Winter
A heat pump can both heat your home during the winter and cool it during the summer. With just an adjustment of your thermostat, you can switch between heating and cooling mode in an instant.
You might be wondering how a heat pump does its job of heating and cooling your home. Stone Heating and Air explains how it operates.
How It Operates During Winter
The heat pump is so named because of its ability to transfer heat from one area to another. To do this, it relies on refrigerant, which is a substance also used in refrigerators and AC systems. Refrigerant absorbs or releases heat, depending on the type of pressure put on it. When you need heat in your home in winter, your heat pump absorbs heat from the outdoor air — even when the temperatures are freezing — and brings it indoors. For this to happen, the compressor “squeezes” the refrigerant so it can absorb outdoor heat and release it indoors.
How It Operates in Summer
When you need cooling in your home, the heat pump does the same process as described above but in reverse. The refrigerant absorbs heat from the indoor air and releases it back outdoors. As the refrigerant is transferred back indoors through the coils, its temperature drops drastically. Indoor cooling occurs when the pump’s fans blow air over the cold, refrigerant-filled coils.
Keeping Your Heat Pump Well-Maintained
Like furnaces and AC units, a heat pump needs to be inspected and maintained properly so it can perform its best. Through regular maintenance, you can be confident that it will perform efficiently, require fewer repairs in the future and last its full lifespan.
Let Stone Heating and Air take care of all your HVAC needs! To get started, contact us at (541) 855-5521 or fill out our online contact form to schedule an appointment.
Category: HVAC
Request An Appointment
Related Content
