What are heat pump systems?

Heat pump systems are systems that can perform heating or cooling for a particular area. Though their name may suggest that they help with only heating, the fact is that they act as cooling devices also. Some of the most common heat pump systems that we know of are air conditioners, room heaters, refrigerators, etc. All these devices cause heating and cooling of a particular space by moving heat according to thermodynamic principles.

The main concept behind heat pump systems is the reverse of that of heat engines. They essentially move the heat from a place at low temperature, i.e. the cooler place, to a place at high temperature, i.e. the warmer place. By doing so, they generate a heat cycle that produces the required amount of heating or cooling.

In the most common types of heat pump systems – the refrigerators and air conditioners – the heat is drawn from a liquid known as a refrigerant by compressing it to a high degree. As this liquid now moves through the condenser, it begins to expand. This expansion requires heat, which is drawn from the neighboring space. This is what causes the area to cool down. When the refrigerant is fully expanded, it again moves into the compression area and the cycle repeats itself. In each cycle, the refrigerant absorbs heat from the neighboring space and thus causes a considerable amount of cooling.

What are the common features of heat pump systems?

Most home heat pump systems have four essential components that keep their heat shifting cycles going on. These parts are the expansion valve, the evaporator, the compressor and the condenser. These are the different areas through which the refrigerant moves so that it produces the desired level of heating and cooling.

There are two kinds of heat pump systems that are available for household purposes. These complete heat pump systems could take heat from the air of the outside area (known as air-source heat pumps) or can extract heat from the ground (known as ground-source or geothermal heat pumps).

Why do homeowners need heat pump systems?

The complete heat pump systems that are used for residential purposes provide both heating as well as cooling comforts for the people living inside the house. They can use these home heat pump systems to provide themselves with warmth in the cool months of winter and coolness in the hot months of summer. The best part is that there are no changes to be made. By its shifting heat principle, the heat pump systems can automatically shift heat outside or inside the house, thus giving the whole house a more desirable temperature.

General pricing guidelines

The type of the heat pump system is one of the factors that decides its cost. The ground-source heat pump systems are about double the cost of the air-source heat but they also produce a better heat efficiency. The prices of the heat pump systems depend on a lot of other factors, such as the principle behind their functioning, the area which they are expected to heat or cool, the technology used, and so on. Based on these, there are complete heat pump systems that can cost anywhere from $500 to $20,000.

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