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HEATING
AND COOLING YOUR HOME WITH AN ENERGY EFFICIENT HEAT PUMP
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This
home heating and cooling map indicates
we're located in zone 3 midway
between the blistering heat of south Florida (zone 5)
and the frigid sub-freezing winters of faraway Maine
(zone 1).
Heat Pumps are
used in climates with moderate heating and cooling needs
and are ideally suited for such regions as Central Piedmont
North Carolina, especially the counties of Union,
Mecklenburg and Cabarrus. The heat pump offers an
energy-efficient alternative to conventional fuel-fired
furnaces and unattached central air conditioning systems
or unattached air conditioning window units.
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The heat pump works on the same
principle as a refrigerator. It uses electricity
to pump or move heat from a cool space into a warm
space, making the cool space cooler and the warm space
warmer. During summer months, the heat pump acts exactly
like your refrigerator moving hot air from the inside to
the outside lowering the temperature and cooling your
home. In the winter months, the heat pump reverses
itself, pumping heat from the outside and moving it
inside to raise the temperature and warm your home.
Because it moves heat rather than generating heat from
burning fuel or heating elements, the heat pump can
provide up to 4 times the amount of energy it actually
consumes.
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The most common type
heat pump is the air-source heat pump, sometimes
referred to as a forced-air heat pump. It merely
transfers heat: from the inside to the outside or from
the outside to the inside. If you're currently
heating your home with an electric furnace or fuel-fired
furnace, an energy efficient heat pump can reduce your
monthly energy bills by as much as thirty to forty
percent. In the summer months, these
high-efficiency heat pumps also dehumidify better than a
standard central air conditioner, resulting in less
energy usage while providing more cooling comfort.
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When the outdoor temperature
falls below 40°F, a less-efficient panel of electric
resistance coils or heat strips, similar to those in
your bread toaster, is activated to provide for indoor
heating. In place of electric resistance coils,
some heat pumps incorporate gas-fired backup burners to
generate emergency heat. This is why the
air-source heat pump is not recommended for regions
known for severe winter weather conditions where
prolonged periods of below-freezing temperatures are
common. Once again, the air source heat
pump is ideally suited for the mild climate of Central
Piedmont, North Carolina.
Not so far in the distant past, heat pumps could be used
only in homes and businesses outfitted and equipped with
ductwork, installed either overhead or underneath the
living/working area. |
| This network of ducts, known as
supply and return, was necessary for moving heat -
transferring it outside in the summer months and
bringing it inside during the winter months.
Nowadays, air-source heat pumps are also available in a
ductless version, commonly referred to as a "mini-split
heat pump". Ducted heat pumps are still
recommended for accessible areas but let's face it: some
areas of your home or business are just simply
off-limits and impossible to reach with ductwork.
For those areas, a ductless mini-split heat pump will
solve your heating and cooling dilemma. For more
information on these ductless mini-split air-source heat
pumps, please click
here,
here, or
here. |
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YEAR-ROUND COMFORT
at
ROCK-BOTTOM PRICES
Jeff
Helms
704-201-1790
NC HVAC License # 28630 |
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