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Heat Pump vs Air Conditioner |
Heat pumps come in two basic flavors - they can either take heat from the air outside the house (even though it may not seem very warm outdoors!), and put it inside to heat your home, or they can be a geothermal type, which takes heat from the ground and does the same thing. The great thing about heat pumps is that they can be reversed, taking heat out of your house and depositing either in the outside air, or into the ground. If you live near a lake, or deep river, then this is an excellent heat sink for heat pump purposes. An air-to-air heat pump system used for air conditioning works well if the outside temperature is not super high, as the system will try to pump hot air into it, so will be more efficient as the outside temperature falls. This kind of installation is suitable for locations that experience expected, but short periods of summer heat, when air conditioning makes indoor living a little more comfortable ... |
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When considering the pros and cons of a heat pump vs air conditioning, you need to take into account the characteristics of your needs, the area of your home and of course, your budget. If you are looking for a long term solution that will significantly reduce your energy bills over a twenty year period, then a geothermal heat pump system is recommended. Such an installation uses the earth as a heat-source, if used as a home or water heater, and as a heat sink if used in air conditioner mode. The temperature of the earth a meter underground is pretty constant all year round, which is above freezing and well below the air temperature during the hottest summer months. This is a very attractive option, as the installation can simply be reversed to give to low-cost climate control inside your home the whole year round. If you are on a tight budget, then the capital cost of such a system could be one major disadvantage. On the other hand, payments on a loan for geothermal heat pump installation could be almost covered by your monthly electricity or gas bill savings. In addition, a big part of the cost is due to the fact that pipe-work needs to be installed under the ground, either in a low-depth lattice work pattern, or straight down in the form of a bore-hole, just like drilling a well. If you have enough land, which will depend on the project calculations, then this work could be done by you, thereby saving money. Accurate calculations are essential, as an undersized pipe-work grid area will not give your the cooling or heating performance desired. The main advantages of a heat pump vs air conditioner installation
are reduction in household running costs, which also means that less of the planet's energy resourecs are used.
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