By transferring heat, rather than burning fuel to create it, heat pumps can be an effective way to heat a home. At present, there are only two types of air pumps in general use for the home, air source and ground source.

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The principle behind the heat pump is fairly simple. Heat naturally flows from warm to cold, high to low. The heat pump exploits this natural process by using a small amount of energy to pull heat from one source and pumping it to another area.

Air-Source Heat Pumps – At its most simple, the air-source heat pump system is like a reverse air conditioner. Domestic systems have both an indoor and an outdoor unit which connect through the wall.

In order to create heat on the inside the outside air to source unit contains a refrigerant which absorbs heat from the outside air. The heated refrigerant passes in a compressed form into the indoor coil where it condenses and releases heat.

In its simplest configuration, the heat taken from the outdoor air then circulates indoors via air ducts. Such a heat pump is commonly referred to as an air-to-air heat pump; however, with modifications, air-source systems are compatible with other types of indoor heating systems.

An important feature of the heat pump is that this action can be reversed. When the thermostat is lowered to a certain level the refrigerant flow is reversed and the net result on the inside is cooling.

Ground-Source Heat Pumps – The components of a ground-source, or geothermal, heat pump are the same as for the air-source pump. The difference is that in the ground-source system the outdoor “refrigerator” coil is replaced by underground pipes filled with refrigerant.

When it is in heating mode, the ground-source heat pump pulls heat from the ground for circulation indoors. These systems can be reversed just like the air-source units. When reversed the system works like an air conditioner.

Cost and heating/cooling capacity are the biggest differences between these two types of systems. Ground-source systems can cost as much as three times as much because of the expense involved in running the pipes.

Air-source systems will not work in extreme climates since it takes too much energy to run the condenser. However a few feet below ground temperatures are nearly constant anywhere in the United States so the ability of a ground-source system to transfer heat from this medium is not nearly as restricted in harsher climates.

A heat pump will not mean the elimination of your heating bill. A reduction of 30 to 40 percent is typical. Government incentives will often defray part of the cost of installation. Higher SEER and HSFP ratings indicate a more efficient unit.

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