Homeowners in Olathe, Kansas, rarely experience freezing temperatures so severe that they disrupt daily life. While the average nighttime lows between December and February dip just below freezing, you don’t necessarily need a furnace to maintain comfort at home. One HVAC system that can provide your home with both heating and cooling is a heat pump. Read on to learn more about this energy-efficient alternative to combustion-based heating systems.
How Heat Pumps Work
Central air conditioners generate cool air, while furnaces generate heat. Heat pumps, on the other hand, pump heat from one area to another. They do this by using a compressor and a circulating structure of refrigerant, extracting heat from outdoor sources like air and water before pumping it indoors. Pumping the heat utilizes less energy than what it takes a furnace to convert it. Therefore, a heat pump is the most energy-efficient alternative to oil, fuel and electric HVAC systems.
Benefits of Heat Pumps
Here are the benefits of installing a heat pump in your home:
- Efficiency: On average, gas furnaces achieve 98-percent operational efficiency. However, heat pumps can achieve more than 300-percent operational efficiency. As a result, heat pumps are cheaper to operate than HVAC systems based on combustion.
- Safety: Heat pumps are also safer to operate than combustion-based HVAC systems. Since a heat pump doesn’t burn anything to create energy or heat, you won’t have to worry about carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Cooling capabilities: In the summer, you can reverse a heat pump’s cycle so that it acts like an air conditioner. As a result, it’ll pump the warm air inside your home outside in order to cool it down.
- Carbon emissions: A heat pump has an efficient conversion rate of energy to heat, which helps you reduce your impact on the environment. They also last longer than traditional heating and cooling systems.
Many factors determine whether a heat pump is right for your home, and you need a professional to help. Contact Air-Pro Comfort Systems today at 913-521-8812 to learn more about these environmentally friendly HVAC systems and whether installing one in your home is the right decision.
