The Advantages of the Heat Pump
What is a Heat pump?
A heat
pump is a home appliance (similar to a fridge freezer) that heats and cools
the atmosphere in the home. It offers home owners comfort that is normally
reserved for high-rise office buildings, five-star hotels and executive
apartments. It heats, cools, dehumidifies and continuously filters the air of
dust and other impurities. It also circulates the air - without heating or
cooling - to eliminate stuffiness. A typical heat pump is two units - an indoor
unit, and an outdoor unit. For this reason, they are often called "split
systems". Many have remote controls for maximum convenience.
How does it work?
A fridge transfers heat from its food compartment to the coil at the back. Like
a fridge, it can be reversed so that the heat flow goes the other way. Heat
pumps transfer heat from outside air into the home in winter, and transfers heat
from inside the home to outside air in summer.
But how can it heat the home and winter when it is freezing outside?
A home freezer can take the temperature of its food compartment below 0°, in
fact as low as -6°C. If it can remove heat from inside a freezer to below 0°,
the same process - used in the heat pumps - can extract enough heat from cold
outside air to warm the home. Although our body's feel cold at these low
temperatures, there is still a lot of heat energy in the outside air at 0°C.
What size will I need for my home?
Every home is as individual as its owner. The key to selecting the right size
heat pump for your home is an accurate estimate of the heat that will need to be
transferred into your home in winter for heating, and out of your home in summer
for cooling. This needs to be carried out by an experienced and qualified
specialist like Excel Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Ltd.
What factors will affect the size of heat pump I need?
The amount of heating needed will depend on the heat loss through walls, windows
and roofs. To minimize heat loss and before you invest in the heat pump, it is
always a good idea to properly insulate walls and roofs first. In particularly
cold climates double glazing windows will insulate them and keep heat loss to a
minimum. By insulating first, the size of heat pump selected will generally be
smaller and therefore be cheaper to install and run.
The northern aspect of the home is also an important factor. North facing rooms
will catch the sun better and more generally need less heating. Conversely,
South facing rooms tend to be colder and will need more heating.
Do heat pumps take up a lot of room?
No. Heat pumps are designed to be unobtrusive in size, neutral decor and low
noise levels. There are also different types of heat pumps, from a stylish
through the wall packaged unit to different varieties of split systems. The
least obtrusive is a ducted split system. This can be hidden in the ceiling or
under floor and only the grilles for distributing the air are visible.
How much does cost to buy and install a pump?
As stated before, every home is as unique as its owner. The installed cost of
the heat pump will therefore be unique for each home and will depend on the size
and type of heat pump installed. As an example, a standard three-bedroom 100 m2
timber framed New Zealand home may use a 5.5 KW hi-wall split system heat pump
to warm the lounge, dining and kitchen as one open plan area. This type of
installation would currently cost just over $3000 plus gst to install. A very
broad guide to heat pump installed cost is $60-$100/m2 plus gst of served area.
Served area is the area being heated and excludes laundries, garages, toilets
and other utility areas in the home.
How much does cost to heat my home with a heat pump?
To answer this question the amount of heating that is currently necessary will
need to be known. For the purpose of explanation, assume 5KW of heating is
needed. Electrical heating appliances are normally 100% efficient so for 5 KW of
heating one will need to pay for 5 KW of electric energy. Gas heating appliances
are less than 100% efficient. For discussion, let's assume that they are 90%
efficient. This means, to gain 5KW of heating, one has to pay for 5.6 KW of gas
energy. Although gas may be cheaper per KW, one has to use more of it to produce
the same heating effect. Heat pumps transfer heat from outside air and in this
way produces two to three times more heat. Its efficiency - if it can be called
that - is 200% to 300%. This means for 5 KW of heating, one will only pay for
around 2 KW of electric energy. Heat pump heating is roughly a third of the cost
of electric heating and about half the cost of gas heating.
How can a heat pump be cheaper to run when it has more moving parts?
A heat pump uses electricity to transfer heat. Electric heaters convert electric
energy to heat energy and are thereby limited by the amount of electricity used.
A heat pump has no such limitation and can transfer twice to three times the
heat from outside air than can be converted from the electricity at uses.
Are heat pumps noisy?
No, they are generally not noisy. The source of the noise in a typical heat pump
is air impinging on the grille as it is forced out of the unit. Air noise is
marginally higher than ambient background noise and is usually not distracting.
Do they dry the air: like on an airplane?
Heating or cooling air changes its characteristics. Heating air increases its
ability to carry moisture and suspension by reducing its relative humidity
content. This is the same process used in clothes dryers. Cooling air causes the
moisture in the air to condense out of suspension. This reduces the absolute
humidity content of the air and is the process used in the humidifiers. Either
way, reducing moisture in the home is beneficial by discouraging mould and
mildew by producing a healthier living environment.
Are they reliable?
Yes. Heat pumps are reliable. They use the same process as the home fridge or
freezer and have the same level of dependability and useful life expectancy.
How easy are they to repair?
Provided the service person is experienced and qualified, repairing heat pumps
is as straightforward as repairing the fridge or freezer. For repairs, talk to
Excel and Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Ltd.
Do they need servicing?
Like cars, heat pumps should be regularly serviced for optimum operation. This
involves cleaning the air filter and perhaps checking that the refrigeration
charge is correct. It would be a good idea to service the pumps just before the
beginning of each extreme season i.e before winter and again before summer.
How are heat pumps better than other forms of heating?
Apart from being cheaper to run, heat pumps offer other benefits that heating
only systems cannot.
1) Heat pumps don't burn oxygen or create stuffiness like open fires do. They
are designed for all year round comfort, not just for four months during winter.
2) They produce low-density heat which is safer for children and elderly, unlike
fires, oil filled or electric fan heaters.
3) They are unmatched for convenience and ease-of-use.
4) They do not pollute their atmosphere with the products of combustion, and
they use ozone friendly refrigerant.
All in all, heat pumps offer the best investment in home heating and comfort.
Taranaki Airconditioning Heatpumps
Excel Airconditioning.The leading heatpump and refrigeration specialist in
Taranaki New Zealand
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aidan_G_Rogers
"-
At the current time, we use the home warrantee company for all the
components in our home, with the exception of our air conditioner
and heating unit, where we continue to contact Betts Heating & Air
for all the essential repairs to our system." --
Michael and Melinda Kennedy,
Acworth GA
