Heat pumps are excellent heating and cooling choices for a number of reasons, including heating efficiency rates of about 300 percent, and cooling efficiency comparable to high-efficiency air conditioners. In addition, if you’re in the market for a new heat pump, you’ll want to consider available advanced features for extended lifespan of the system, improved comfort and nearly double the energy efficiency of standard heat pumps.
Advanced features
Advanced heat-pump features enable quieter operation and greater compatibility and applications with other home comfort systems. These are the features and their benefits:
- Variable-speed blower motors use less energy than conventional blowers that operate at 100 percent capacity. A variable-speed motor regulates the blower speed with low start-up speeds, and slowly increases to meet the exact heating and cooling needs at any given moment. Variable-speed motors produce less noise, save substantial energy expenses, experience less wear, and aid in dehumidification of your living space.
- Scroll compressors compress refrigerant more efficiently, providing up to 15 degrees warmer air for less energy consumed than conventional piston compressors. With regular maintenance, scroll compressors are quieter, and they last longer with fewer repairs.
- Two-speed compressors adjust refrigerant circulation to meet current heating and cooling needs. Just like scroll compressors and variable-speed motors, two-speed compressors last longer than their conventional counterparts, and use less energy. In addition, two-speed compressors work wonderfully in conjunction with variable-speed motors to enhance optimal efficiency for zoning systems.
- Desuperheaters are auxiliary heat exchangers located between the compressor and condenser. They use excess superheated gases from the compression phase of the refrigerant to heat water for your storage-tank water heater. In essence, a desuperheater makes a heat pump more efficient while making use of otherwise wasted energy. Efficiency gains of using a desuperheater for storage water heating approaches 300 percent over electric storage-tank water heaters.
While these advanced features cost more for your initial investment, the long-term energy savings and extended heat-pump lifespan will more than recover the cost. For more information, contact Ernst Heating & Cooling in the Metro-East area. We’ve been helping homeowners with HVAC projects and decisions since 1951.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
Ernst Heating & Cooling services Hamel, Illinois and the surrounding areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!