Everything You Need To Know About Heat Pump Efficiency
You need to know about heat pump efficiency before you start to look into purchasing a heat pump to either heat or cool your home, or using the heat pump during summer and winter as well. Heat pumps are like small air conditioners, and unlike split air conditioners, they are ductless air conditioning systems, when you are considering installing it only in one room. Knowing more about heat pump efficiency will generally help you choose the best air conditioners.
Heat pumps work on the principle of heat exchange. The difference between a heat pump and an air conditioner is in the type of refrigeration that each use. Heat pumps reverses the refrigeration process when you need your home to be heated, where-as an air conditioner can only cool.
Heat pump efficiency comes with different efficiency factors. A high Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF) rating in a heat pump does not necessarily mean that the heat pump efficiency is high. Both factors do not always co-relate. Similarly, if the heat pump you purchased has a high Seasonal Energy Efficiency ratio (SEER), it does not mean that your heat pump has a high HSPF. As a rule of thumb, if you are using your heat pump in a warm region, your heat pump efficiency as far as SEER is concerned should be high. On the other hand, if you are going to use your pump in a cooler place, the HSPF rating should be high.
Heat pump efficiency depends upon how well the pump moves around the refrigeration process. In cooling and heating, a heat pump simply moves the refrigeration process in different directions. This would mean that the pump simply moves the heat inside to heat and outside to cool. You would know this better if you have knowledge in refrigeration or High Performance HVAC.
Heat pump efficiency also figures into your energy savings, and in certain cases a heat pump can save up to 50% on your electricity bills, when running on electricity. Goodman heat pumps are known to be one of the best in providing heat pump efficiency.
Heat pumps are also used to heat swimming pools. The water in the pool is drawn and made to pass through the heat pump as it heats the water in the pool. The principle works by using a heat exchange method between the outside air and the evaporator coil. The outside air is drawn in the heat pump by a fan in the heat pump and this air is sent towards the evaporator coil. The refrigerant inside the evaporator coil absorbs the heat from the air and a gas is formed. When the warm gas passes through a compressor, it transfers this heat to the water.
Heat pumps often use a water source to heat or cool your house. The water is used as an absorbent of heat from the room, and air is then circulated around the room. In order to take the full advantage of your heat pump efficiency, you should make sure that your room or your house is well insulated. This would in fact stop leakages through improper sealing of windows, attics, and doors. If this could be done, you would be using heat pump efficiency to its optimum limit.
