If you’re thinking about installing a new heating system in your Clearwater area home, you should consider the benefits of installing an air-source heat pump. A heat pump is the ideal appliance for warming homes during our more mild Florida winter. These units utilize the heat exchange properties of refrigerant to transfer heat from one site to another. In other words, they work on the scientific principle that hot air will naturally seek a cooler environment.
Due to a reversing valve that switches the flow of refrigerant, heat pumps are actually able to both heat and cool a home. During winter, heat pumps pull heat from the outdoor air into the outside condenser unit. The refrigerant here picks up the heat and flows into the indoor heat exchange coil where a fan blows over the coil and heats the interior air. During the summer, the opposite happens as the evaporator coil captures inside heat and exhausts it outside. This dual ability has made heat pumps an ideal option for many homeowners.
An air-source heat pump is especially energy efficient for heating in mild Florida winters, particularly compared to other types of heating systems. Their one big disadvantage is that their performance efficiency is decreased when outside temperatures fall below 35 degrees. However, given our more mild temperatures, this factor doesn’t matter for Clearwater residents.
Their energy efficiency is worth boasting about, however. A well-maintained heat pump can generate three to four times the amount of heat from one unit of electricity. Meanwhile, a combustion furnace can’t exceed an energy efficiency of 100 percent, or one to one. Since most of your conditioning requirements in Florida is for cooling, heat pump systems provide an economical and convenient way to accomplish both.
To learn more about how an air-source heat pump system will improve your indoor environment this winter, or for information on other quality HVAC products and solutions, contact your local experts at Cox Air Conditioning & Heating. We’ve have been providing expert advice and service since 1958.
