How Heat Pumps Work Home & Garden | When you think about cooling a hot building, you probably don't think of heat pumps. In fact, the words "air conditioner" are likely the first things that come to your head unless you're tight with your pennies. Then you might go with "window fans." As it turns out, a heat pump can both heat and cool, and in some applications, it's preferred to separate heating and cooling systems. Simply put, a heat pump is a device that uses a small amount of energy to move heat from one location to another. Not too difficult, right? Heat pumps are typically used to pull heat out of the air or ground to heat a home or office building, but they can be reversed to cool a building. In a way, if you know how an air conditioner works, then you already know a lot about how a heat pump works. This is because heat pumps and air conditioners operate in a very similar way. Heating and Cooling System Basics How Home Thermostats Work The Ultimate Heating and Cooling Systems Basics Quiz

One of the biggest advantages of a heat pump over a standard heating ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) unit is that there's no need to install separate systems to heat and cool your home. Heat pumps also work extremely efficiently, because they simply transfer heat, rather than burn fuel to create it. This makes them a little more green than a gas-burning furnace. And they don't just heat and cool buildings. If you've ever enjoyed a hot tub or heated swimming pool, then you probably have a heat pump to thank. They work best in moderate climates, so if you don't experience extreme heat and cold in your neck of the woods, then using a heat pump instead of a furnace and air conditioner could help you save a little money each month. Read on to get a glimpse of the innards of a heat pump.Sign up See details | Sign up shipping store pickup See details | Sign up ( $. $249.99 See details | Sign up ( $. $418.57 See details | Sign up ( $. $241.43 Sold & Shipped by Living Direct Inc (2 $. $499.99 See details |

Sign up ( $297.14 $297.14Sign up ( $352.86 $352.86Sign up ( $. $299.99 Sold & Shipped by VMInnovations $. $209.99 $. $209.99 Haier 5,200 BTU Window Air Conditioning Unit for 100-150 Sq Ft w/Remote| ESA405N Sold & Shipped by VMInnovations See details | Sign up ( $299.99 $299.99 Sold & Shipped by Zoro (3 See details | Sign up ( $699.00 $699.00Sign up ( $519.99 $519.99 Sold & Shipped by Living Direct Inc (1 $. $599.99 shipping store pickup ( $869.99 $869.99Sign up ( $649.99 $649.99 Sold & Shipped by VMInnovations (3 $. $209.99 See details | Sign up (2 $. $579.99 See details | Sign up Sold & Shipped by OJ Commerce LLC ( store pickup $. $308.07 $. $308.07 Brisa Brand Evaporative Air Window Cooler store pickup Sold & Shipped by Zoro (4 Sold & Shipped by Ron's Home and Hardware $. Midea America Corp/Import MWDUK-18ERN1-MCJ7 Air Conditioner, Cool & Heat, With Remote, 18,000/16,000 BTUs Sold & Shipped by Ron's Home and Hardware shipping store pickup $. LG LW1216HR 12,000 BTU 230V Window-Mounted Air Conditioner with 11,200 BTU Supplemental Heat Function shipping store pickup Sold & Shipped by Direct Home Supplies $.

$457.03 Comfort-Aire 10,000 BTU Window Air Conditioner Sold & Shipped by Direct Home Supplies Sold & Shipped by Zoro ( Sold & Shipped by We The People (4 $. $532.44 $. $532.44 A/C ROOM 10K BTU 115V W/REMOTE (4 Sold & Shipped by We The People Sold & Shipped by Beach Audio Inc $. split system air conditioning star ratingComfort-aire Rads-81p Window Air Conditioner - Cooler - 8000 Btu/h Cooling Capacity - White (rads81p) Sold & Shipped by Beach Audio Inc Sold & Shipped by We The People $. air conditioner and heater canada$197.79 AIR CONDITIONER WINDOW 5K BTU Sold & Shipped by We The People Sold & Shipped by We The People $. solar powered window ac unit$379.49 A/C ROOM 8K BTU 115V W/REMOTE Sold & Shipped by We The People $. Midea America Corp/Import MWDUJ2-12ERN1-MCJ9 Air Conditioner, Cool & Heat, With Remote, 12,000/11,000 BTUs Sold & Shipped by Ron's Home and Hardware

So, you've got a heating and cooling system in your home. There's a metal box outside that makes noise, and you control it with the thermostat on the wall. Can you tell me right now whether it's a heat pump or just an air conditioner? This is a really important question to be able to answer when you're talking to an engineer or contractor at a cocktail party. The diference between the two is simple. An air conditioner moves heat from inside your home to outside in the summer. A heat pump does that and also moves heat from outside to inside in winter. Really, what we call an air conditioner is just as much a heat pump as the device that owns the heat pump name. It's just that the air conditioner pumps heat in only one direction. (Regrigerators and dehumidifiers do the same thing pretty much.) Now, back to my question, do you or don't you know what you have? If you don't, here's your opportunity to do a little snooping and find out. Here are three ways: Go outside and find the model number of the metal noisemaker (aka the condensing unit).

Type that number into the search box in your browser and see what the all-wise Internets tell you about it. You might need to type in the brand name, too. That search should get you the answer. Go outside and peer down through the grill on top of the condensing unit. If you see a horizontal brass pipe similar to the one shown in the photo at right, you've got a heat pump. That piece is called the reversing valve, and it's what allows a heat pump to pump heat in both directions. Note: If you look down in there and don't see one, that doesn't mean it's not a heat pump. Sometimes they're hidden behind the access panel outside the coil, as was the case for the one in the photo. Go inside and set your thermostat to heat. Adjust the temperature setting until the heat comes on in your home. Now go outside and see if the condensing unit is making noise and blowing air. If it is, you have a heat pump. (Note: This doesn't always work, but something else about the thermostat tells you the answer, too.