Heat Pump Questions and AnswersWhat is a Heat Pump?
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What Is A Heat Pump?A Heat Pump is simply an air conditioner that moves in forward and reverse. In a standard air conditioning system the outside unit has coils that get hot and exchange the heat in the Freon to the outside air. The Freon then moves to the inside coil in the home and becomes very cold. The Freon is then able to absorb heat from the air in the home cooling the home off. In a heat pump the outdoor unit contains a reversing valve that switches the flow of Freon making the indoor unit hot and the outdoor unit cold. Heat Pumps will work down to an outside temperature of about 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Perfect for our Southern California weather. How Efficient is a Heat Pump? The basis for all electric heating and cooling efficiency ratios is electric strip heat. Electric strip heat (like a toaster) is 100% efficient with all the heat going in to the home. There is no flue like a gas furnace. An electric resistance heater (strip heat) converting 100% of its input electricity to output heat would have COP = 1 (coefficient of performance), equivalent to a 3.4 EER. The minimum EER (energy efficiency ratio) for heat pumps here in Southern California is 11 EER. The minimum efficiency gain, compared to electric strip heaters, is 11 divided by 3.4 = 3.23 or 323% efficient. Replace your electric resistance heater with a heat pump and your electric bill for heating drops by about 2/3rds. Even with this phenomenal efficiency a standard gas heater costs less to operate than the most efficient Heat Pump. This is because natural gas is so much cheaper to purchase than electricity here in Southern California. How Much Does It Cost to Repair a Heat Pump?Most repairs to Heat Pumps cost less than $100. They are electrical in nature or are directly related to dirt and debris build up. What Can Go Wrong In A Heat Pump?This is a long laundry list. The indoor coil can be plugged up with dirt and debris. The filter can be dirty restricting airflow. The outdoor coil can be dirty. Relays fails, fuses blow, circuit breakers trip, circuit boards malfunction, ducting fails and the list goes on. While normal the repairs are very cheap and the diagnostic service is done in minutes it is not always so easy and cheap. These must be seen in person and diagnosed in order to pinpoint the actual problem. What Temperature Should the Supply Air Be Coming Out of The Registers?
It should be 100 to 110 degrees. As the outside temperature drops below 50 degrees the discharge temperature through the registers will drop below 100 into the mid to high 90’s. If your output temperature is below this you either have too much airflow for your unit, the ducts are broken allowing outside air into your home or the Heat Pump just isn’t working the way that it should. The temperature of the output at the register will never be as hot as the temperature of a gas fired furnace which operates at 120 to 140 degrees. How Long Should It Take To Heat My Home with A Heat Pump? If the unit is running ideally at the outdoor target temperature your Heat Pump should run continuously very rarely turning off. This is the most efficient way to operate the unit. I know it seems counter intuitive, but starting the unit consumes the most amount of electricity and causes the most amount of wear and tear on the system. How Long Does a Heat Pump Last?Most systems will last 15 to 20 years, but we still work on systems performing well today that are more than 25 years old. Why Use Us?
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