Heat Pumps: What You Need To Know

Why do most people seem so confused androom: You install a heat pump, and it's warm
bewildered about heat pumps? They have beeninside. A heat pump will circulate the air in the
around now for at least several decades, yet theroom, capture the heat energy that is there, and
technology behind them seems to mystify sotransfer that heat energy outside. Because heat
many people. So, I decided to research thisenergy has been taken out from the room, you
subject for myself in order to tell you how - inwill feel cooler.
layman's terms - these things workWhat do you do in the winter? Simply reverse
The first thing I should deal with, I guess, is thethe whole process: use your heat pump to move
name itself: heat pumps. Why are they calledheat energy from the outside to your rooms
that? If they are pumps, then what are theyinside (even when it's cold outside there's heat
'pumping?' Well, the word pump is actually veryenergy there, remember?). You will feel warmer
appropriate (at least to my mind), as pumpsin that room as a result.
move something - water, gas, oil - from oneOne very important not: heat pumps, by
place (like the bottom of a well) to another placethemselves, do not burn fuel to add heat to a
(like your sink). And that's exactly what heatcold room - they simply move it from someplace
pumps do: they move, or 'pump' heat energy. Ifelse. This means that a heat pump is not a
this is a hard concept for you to grasp, here's anfurnace, which burns fuel. A heat pump is an
illustration. Imagine letting a cup of hot tea sitenergy-transferor, not an energy-producer.
awhile to cool down. Now think about it: WhatSome heat pumps are called air-source heat
really happened? Well, when a hot liquid cools, thepumps, so called because they use the air
heat energy passes from the hot liquid to the air(surrounding the unit or from a separate unit
surrounding it. In other words, heat was 'pumped'outdoors) as their source for heating and cooling.
(moved) from one location to another.Other types of heat pumps are called Geothermal
You might not realize it, but even on the coldestheat pumps - they draw heat energy from the
day outside, the air contains some heat energy.ground outside (below the frost line) to heat, or
The same is true for the ground beneath ourpump excess heat energy into the ground to cool.
feet: it has the capacity to store, or hold, heatThey do this by transferring heat energy through
energy. Heat pumps simply move, or 'pump' heata series of coils that are buried deep in the
energy from one place to another. When you useground. You may not realize it but below a certain
a heat pump to heat or cool a room, you aredepth the temperature of the ground remains
making use of this basic fact of physics.fairly constant year-round.
Let's see this in action when you decide to cool a