How a Heat Pump System Both Heats and Cools

What’s the amazing secret of how a heat pump can do the job of both an air conditioner and a heater? Like many magic tricks, the secret isn’t that complicated when you come down to it. Basically, a heat pump is an air conditioner that can reverse its operation.

Think of it this way: when an air conditioner is running, the inside of a house cools down, while the outside unit expels hot air. If you switch this around, hot air will be expelled into the house. This is how a heat pump runs. It operates like an air conditioner, but by reversing the direction the refrigerant circulates, it can move heat from the outdoors to the indoors.

Why Consider Heat Pump Installation?

If you have a standard air conditioner and furnace for home comfort, why might you want to replace them with a heat pump? There are a number of reasons.

  • Heating and cooling: This is the most popular reason for getting a heat pump. Comfort is taken care of 12 months of the year with a single installation.
  • Heating efficiency: For homes that don’t have natural gas connections, using electric heating systems like electric furnaces creates massive bills—especially in a place as cold as Burlington, VT. But a heat pump uses far less power in heating mode than other electric heaters. This is because it uses electricity to move heat, rather than to create it. You can expect energy savings of up to 60% if you change from an electric furnace to a heat pump.
  • Safety: Even homes that have natural gas may want to opt for a heat pump because of its safe operation. Heat pumps present no risk of potentially dangerous gas leaks. Their cabinets don’t even heat up when they run.

We Also Offer Heat Pump Repair and Maintenance

Like air conditioners, heat pumps are complicated refrigeration systems. If something goes wrong with a heat pump during its service life, it can’t be fixed by an amateur with a few tools and a guide printed from the Internet. It takes licensed technicians, like our NATE–certified professionals, to handle the work. When your heat pump system starts to fall down on the job, you can reach us 24–hours a day for help. We’d also like to assist with stopping heat pump trouble in the first place: just ask about our regular maintenance.

Red Rock Mechanical, LLC is the contractor to call for all your comfort needs in Burlington, VT and the surrounding areas. We back up all our labor with a 1–year warranty.