An Air Source Heat Pump for Cooling: Learn the Benefits

Air source heat pump use is big in central Florida.  It’s one of the most efficient/economical means of providing cool, conditioned air to your Orlando area home during hot weather and, with the flip of a switch, it can be reversed to heating mode to provide warmth when that’s what is needed.

Air source heat pump technology is designed around the basic principle that hot or warm air always seeks cold. Heats pumps cool your home the same way your refrigerator cools your food, through the process of heat transference. This means taking heat from one location and moving it to another. In the case of your refrigerator, the heat is removed from inside the box and pumped out the back (which is why it’s so warm back there).

In cooling mode, an air source heat pump transfers heat from inside your living space, releasing it into the outside air. It utilizes two sets of copper coils and two blower fans, one each inside and outside the house, a compressor, and an expansion valve. The following takes place during each cooling cycle:

• Hot indoor air is blown across the inside coils containing cold refrigerant. Heat is absorbed (warm flows to cool), causing the refrigerant to vaporize. Humidity condenses on the coils, drips down, is collected and then drained away.
• The refrigerant is piped outside to the compressor, which pressurizes and heats it to about 160 degrees F.
• The superheated vapor goes into the outdoor coils, which act as a heat exchanger (like your car radiator) to disperse the heat (hot flowing to cooler, ambient air) with the help of the outdoor fan.
• The now-cooled refrigerant is piped back into the house, cooled further by the expansion valve, and sent to the coils for a new cooling cycle.

Benefits of cooling with a heat pump include efficiency, economy, evenly-distributed temperatures, automatic dehumidifying, quiet operation, reversible heating option, and relatively low impact on the environment.

Rinaldi’s Energy Solutions, founded in 1969, is a family-owned and operated business serving Central Florida. Please contact us for more information on air source heat pump options, or expert advice on any indoor air comfort/quality solutions.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Orlando, Florida and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about air source heat pumps and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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