How a Heat Pump Can Keep You Cool in the Summer
Many homeowners believe that heat pumps only work in the winter, delivering heat to keep their homes warm. However, heat pumps also offer efficient cooling in the summer as well. To clear up the misconception, here’s an overview of how a heat pump can keep you and your home cool in the summer. What Is a Heat Pump? To understand the cooling capabilities of a heat pump, you must first understand a bit about what a heat pump is and how it operates. A heat pump exploits the refrigeration cycle to move heat from one place to another. It uses a refrigerant—commonly R-410A or R-134A—to absorb heat while it passes through one set of coils before carrying the refrigerant to another to release it. The trick is that a heat pump can operate in either direction, either collecting heat from the outdoor air or expelling it there instead. Summertime Heat Pump Operation In the summer, a heat pump operates just like a standard air conditioner. The cooling cycle starts when the refrigerant passes through an expansion valve, turning it into a cold, low-pressure liquid-vapor mixture. That mixture then passes through an evaporator coil inside your home while a fan circulates...
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