The furnace is the most common heating system in the United States. A furnace is a long-lasting, efficient heating system, and most homes are already set up to have a gas or electric system installed. But in a climate like Florida’s, is it really necessary to have a heating system that’s separate from your air conditioner?
A standard central air conditioner can only cool you down or circulate air around your home; it cannot heat. That’s why you typically need a separate heater to move warm air through the ducts. Many Florida residents compromise with small portable heaters instead of installing a separate costly whole-home system. But these are inefficient for heating a whole-home or even a single room comfortably.
Heating and Air Conditioning in One: The Heat Pump
A far more efficient option is one that controls the temperature throughout the entire home, not several portable units that are not properly sized for the system. The heat pump is a heating and cooling system in one—highly efficient and an excellent choice for our mild temperatures.
How a Heat Pump Operates
A heat pump actually works just like a central air conditioner, except that there are some extra valves within the system that change it. Like a standard air conditioner, refrigerant moves in one direction in a cyclical way to cool down a home. It evaporates and absorbs heat from inside of your home and condenses to release heat outside, over and over again.
Unlike a standard central air conditioner, the refrigerant can also run in reverse. It absorbs heat from outside of the home and moves this heat inside. This works even in very cold weather, and diminishing efficiency isn’t really a worry in Florida. It’s more efficient than other options because the process of moving heat uses so little energy.
Is this the right system for your home? Talk to a technician today to find out!
Call Air On Demand to get a heat pump installation from Amana in Palmetto Bay, FL.