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Heat pump moves heat from cold spaces into warm ones. The fridge, the air conditioner, and the freezer are heat pumps.
Nothing ever changes for the fridge. It is busy cooling groceries 24/7/365. Same with the freezer. What about the air conditioner?
Well, regretfully, here in Toronto air conditioner works only a few short weeks a year, and it is not cheap to buy. Does it have to be this way? The answer is NO. You cannot make the air conditioner cheaper, but you can make it work much harder - all year around, and you can make it save your money.
Here is how. In winter cold and warm spaces reverse. Outside becomes cold and inside becomes warm. So, let’s reverse the air conditioner. Let’s start pumping heat from the cold street into the warm house. This is when people start using name “heat pump” instead of “air conditioner”. Air conditioners always pumped heat, but historically only those that can
... heats it in the winter
pump in the both directions are called “heat pumps”.
What makes heat pumps stand out among other heaters is their efficiency. A regular electric heater will get you 1 kW of heat per every 1 kW of electricity spent. Today’s heat pump will return you 3 kW of heat on every 1 kW of electricity spent. To pump heat with electricity is 3 times more efficient then just to burn electricity.
Are Heat Pumps Good for Winter?
Only a couple of years ago energy was cheap and technology was inefficient, especially at low outside temperatures. Things started changing in 2006. Heat pumps efficiency went up from 10 SEER to 16 SEER and now even 23 SEER. It change things dramatically. Now
Cools in the Summer, Heats in the Winter
What Is a Heat Pump
a regular Mitsubishi ductless heat pump runs efficiently up to -10°C outside. The latest from Mitsubishi - Zuba Central heat pump keeps pulling heat from cold outside air up -30°C. It is even more efficient than high efficiency gas furnace.
Who Benefits The Most
There are no hard numbers at this time to draw a line when to use heat pumps and when not to. Also, the situation is changing by the day. Still, there are some clear cut situations. There several factors to consider when making decision on others. MORE..