A heat pump heats and cools a house with one system. It sounds like two machines in one, but it's really one idea used in both directions: instead of making heat, it moves heat from where you don't want it to where you do.
Your refrigerator already does it
A refrigerator pulls heat out of the food compartment and lets it out through the coils on the back. That's why the back of a fridge is warm. A heat pump does the same thing at the scale of a house.
In summer: cooling
Refrigerant flows through the indoor coil, absorbs heat from the air in the house, and carries it outside, where the outdoor unit's fan blows it away. That's exactly how a central air conditioner works.
In winter: heating
A valve in the outdoor unit reverses the flow. Now the outdoor coil gathers heat from the outdoor air (even cool air holds plenty) and the refrigerant carries it inside, where it's released through the indoor coil. Because it's moving heat rather than making it from scratch, a heat pump can deliver several times more heat energy than the electricity it uses.
Why it suits Santa Barbara
A heat pump is at its most efficient when the outdoor temperature is mild, and most of our winter days and nights are. It also takes the place of both a furnace and an air conditioner, and it runs on electricity rather than gas. See heat pump or gas furnace for how they compare.
The parts you'll see
- Outdoor unit: the compressor, the outdoor coil and a fan.
- Indoor unit: an air handler with a coil and blower, connected to ducts; or with a ductless system, one or more wall, ceiling or floor units.
- Refrigerant lines connecting the two, and a thermostat.
What's normal
- The air from the vents feels warm, not hot like a gas furnace, and it runs longer, steadier cycles.
- On cold, damp mornings it frosts up and clears the frost itself. See heat pump frost and defrost.
- It holds a steady temperature best. See thermostat settings.
Thinking about one? Quotes on new and replacement equipment are free: call 805-965-6326 or send us a message.
Related
More tips on heat pumps.