How do an AC, Heat Pump and Furnace Work Together?
Comfort is paramount in your home, and when it comes to heating and cooling there are many HVAC system options to consider. From air conditioners, heat pumps, and furnaces — learn which might be best for your home’s unique needs.
Understanding the differences between an air conditioner heat pump , and furnace can help your family stay comfortable year-round. Learn more about their differences and how they all work together to form one complete system that can heat and cool your home.
ACs vs. Heat Pumps vs. Furnaces: What’s the Difference?
When it comes to choosing the right HVAC system for your home, it’s important to know the differences among the systems. Essentially, a heat pump can heat and cool, while an air conditioner can only cool, and a furnace can only provide heat. These units are frequently paired together to make a complete temperature control system for your home, and where you live often determines which system is best for you.
Air Conditioners
Air conditioners (ACs) are intended to provide cool air to your home, and do not have the ability to heat your home. While many people think that air conditioners make cool air from scratch, the truth is that AC units cool by removing heat and humidity from inside the home and placing it outside. An air conditioner’s main function is to remove hot air and humidity from inside the home by pumping it outside, so you can stay cool and comfortable.
Heat Pumps
Heat pumps have the ability to provide both hot and cool air to your home. To cool your home, heat pumps work in a similar way to an air conditioner in that they transport heat and humidity from inside your home, to the outside. When it comes to heating, heat pumps have a reversing valve that allows them to absorb heat energy from outside air, even in very cold temperatures, which they can then transfer inside the home.
Traditionally, heat pumps have been most popular in more moderate climates, like the southern United States or coastal areas, because they historically didn’t work as well once temperatures dropped below freezing. However, newer heat pump technologies, including energy efficient variable speed heat pumps , can handle temperatures as low as 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Some systems may also include backup electric strip heating for when the temperatures drop too low, while still others operate as dual fuel systems, combining the heat pump with a furnace that takes over at lower temperatures.
Furnaces
Furnaces , on the other hand, work exclusively to heat your home and can’t provide cooling relief. When the temperature in your home drops below the thermostat setting for heat, the thermostat sends a signal to the furnace to begin heating and another signal to the blower motor to activate the HVAC fan. The furnace begins to produce heat from a fuel source, like gas or propane, and then transfers that heat through ductwork to ultimately raise the temperature in your home. Furnaces are a great heating option for those who live in colder climates, as they can provide heat at a rapid pace.
Bonus: Air Handlers
Air handlers are generally paired with an outdoor AC unit or heat pump and are required to move the hot or cold air throughout your home. The blower motor inside the air handler circulates the air through your home’s duct system. The air handler also contains evaporator coils that work in tandem with the outdoor unit to transfer heat to the air passing over them when you are heating your home and remove humidity when you are cooling your home.
How do the HVAC Units Work Together?
Heat pumps, furnaces, air conditioners, and air handlers are four distinct units, but they can work together to form a complete HVAC system that keeps you and your family comfortable throughout the seasons. Two or more units will be paired together to create a complete system. Typically, there will be at least one unit inside the home and one unit outside the home.
For example, homeowners who live in places with changing temperatures might pair an air conditioner and furnace together for a complete home temperature solution. The air conditioner will sit outside the home cooling while the furnace works inside the home to heat with fans and coils. Both systems use your home’s ductwork and vents to transport warm and cool air.
Alternatively, a heat pump and an air handler might be paired together to form a complete system. In this system, the heat pump sits outside your house while the air handler is located inside your home and works to circulate the air the heat pump provides. An air handler paired with a heat pump will provide both heating and cooling, while an air handler paired with an AC unit will cool your home (though it may also provide heat using backup heating strips). Air handlers are not paired with furnaces because furnace units already contain fans for circulating air.
Keep in mind, these are only a few equipment combinations out of many possibilities. The right system for your home depends on a number of factors such as home size, geographic location, number of occupants, and more.
How to Maintain a Complete HVAC System
Like most things, heat pumps, furnaces, air handlers, and AC units last longer and will operate more efficiently, both together and separately, with regular maintenance . All HVAC systems include air filters that homeowners can and should replace regularly. Heat pumps have an indoor and outdoor unit that should be cleaned and inspected annually, and a gas furnace (often paired with a central air conditioner unit) should also have annual inspections.
What Is a Heat Pump?
So, what is a heat pump? A heat pump is part of a home heating and cooling system and is installed outside your home. Like an air conditioner such as central air, it can cool your home, but it’s also capable of providing heat. In cooler months, a heat pump pulls heat from the cold outdoor air and transfers it indoors, and in warmer months, it pulls heat out of indoor air to cool your home. They are powered by electricity and transfer heat using refrigerant to provide comfort all year round. Because they handle both cooling and heating, homeowners may not need to install separate systems to heat their homes. In colder climates, an electric heat strip can be added to the indoor fan coil for additional capabilities. Heat pumps do not burn fossil fuel like furnaces do, making them more environmentally friendly.
What Types of Heat Pumps Are There?
The two most common types of heat pumps are air-source and ground-source. Air-source heat pumps transfer heat between indoor air and outdoor air, and are more popular for residential heating and cooling.
Ground-source heat pumps, sometimes called geothermal heat pumps, transfer heat between the air inside your home and the ground outside. These are more expensive to install but are typically more efficient and have a lower operating cost due to the consistency of the ground temperature throughout the year.
HOW DOES A HEAT PUMP WORK?
How does a heat pump work? Heat pumps transfer heat from one place to another by different air or heat sources. Air source heat pumps move heat between the air inside a home and the air outside a home, while ground source heat pumps (known as geothermal heat pumps) transfer heat between the air inside a home and the ground outside a home. We will focus on air source heat pumps, but the basic operation is the same for both.
HEAT PUMP BASICS
Despite the name, heat pumps do not generate heat – they move heat from one place to another. A furnace creates heat that is distributed throughout a home, but a heat pump absorbs heat energy from the outside air (even in cold temperatures) and transfers it to the indoor air. When in cooling mode a heat pump and an air conditioner are functionally identical, absorbing heat from the indoor air and releasing it through the outdoor unit. Click here for more information about heat pumps vs air conditioners.
When considering which type of system is best for your home, several important factors should be considered, including the size of the home and the local climate. A local Carrier dealer has the expertise to properly evaluate your specific needs and help you make the right decision.
Where Do Heat Pumps Work Best?
Homeowners in need of a new heating or cooling system, may consider the type of climate they live in before purchasing a heat pump system. Heat pumps are more common in milder climates, where the temperature does not typically drop below freezing. In colder regions, they can also be combined with furnaces for energy-efficient heating on all but the coldest days. When the temperature outside drops too low for the heat pump to operate effectively, the system will instead use the furnace to generate heat. This kind of system is often called a dual fuel system – it is very energy efficient and cost effective.
IMPORTANT COMPONENTS OF A HEAT PUMP SYSTEM
A typical air source heat pump system consists of two major components, an outdoor unit (which looks just like the outdoor unit of a split-system air conditioning system) and an indoor air handler unit. Both the indoor and outdoor unit contain various important sub-components.
OUTDOOR UNIT
The outdoor unit contains a coil and a fan. The coil operates as either a condenser (in cooling mode) or an evaporator (in heating mode). The fan blows outside air over the coil to facilitate the heat exchange.
INDOOR UNIT
Like the outdoor unit, the indoor unit, commonly referred to as the air handler unit, contains a coil and a fan. The coil acts as an evaporator (in cooling mode) or a condenser (in heating mode). The fan is responsible for moving air across the coil and throughout the ducts in the home.
REFRIGERANT
The refrigerant is the substance that absorbs and rejects heat as it circulates throughout the heat pump system.
COMPRESSOR
The compressor pressurizes the refrigerant and moves it throughout the system.
REVERSING VALVE
The part of the heat pump system that reverses the flow of refrigerant, allowing the system to operate in the opposite direction and switch between heating and cooling.
EXPANSION VALVE
The expansion valve acts as a metering device, regulating the flow of the refrigerant as it passes through the system, allowing for a reduction of pressure and temperature of the refrigerant.
HOW DOES A HEAT PUMP COOL AND HEAT?
Heat pumps do not create heat. They redistribute heat from the air or ground and use a refrigerant that circulates between the indoor fan coil (air handler) unit and the outdoor compressor to transfer the heat.
In cooling mode, a heat pump absorbs heat inside your home and releases it outdoors. In heating mode, the heat pump absorbs heat from the ground or outside air (even cold air) and releases it indoors.
HOW A HEAT PUMP WORKS - COOLING MODE
One of the most important things to understand about heat pump operation and the process of transferring heat is that heat energy naturally wants to move to areas with lower temperatures and less pressure. Heat pumps rely on this physical property, putting heat in contact with cooler, lower pressure environments so that the heat can naturally transfer. This is how a heat pump works.
STEP 1
Liquid refrigerant is pumped through an expansion device at the indoor coil, which is functioning as the evaporator. Air from inside the house is blown across the coils, where heat energy is absorbed by the refrigerant. The resulting cool air is blown throughout the home’s ducts. The process of absorbing the heat energy has caused the liquid refrigerant to heat up and evaporate into gas form.
STEP 2
The gaseous refrigerant now passes through a compressor, which pressurizes the gas. The process of pressurizing the gas causes it to heat up (a physical property of compressed gases). The hot, pressurized refrigerant moves through the system to the coil in the outdoor unit.
STEP 3
A fan in the outdoor unit moves outside air across the coils, which are serving as condenser coils in cooling mode. Because the air outside the home is cooler than the hot compressed gas refrigerant in the coil, heat is transferred from the refrigerant to the outside air. During this process, the refrigerant condenses back to a liquid state as it cools. The warm liquid refrigerant is pumped through the system to the expansion valve at the indoor units.
STEP 4
The expansion valve reduces the pressure of the warm liquid refrigerant, which cools it significantly. At this point, the refrigerant is in a cool, liquid state and ready to be pumped back to the evaporator coil in the indoor unit to begin the cycle again.
HOW A HEAT PUMP WORKS - HEATING MODE
A Heat pump in heating mode operates just like cooling mode, except that the flow of refrigerant is reversed by the aptly named reversing valve. The flow reversal means that the heating source becomes the outside air (even when outdoor temperatures are low) and the heat energy is released inside the home. The outside coil now has the function of an evaporator, and the indoor coil now has the role of the condenser.
The physics of the process are the same. Heat energy is absorbed in the outdoor unit by cool liquid refrigerant, turning it into cold gas. Pressure is then applied to the cold gas, turning it to hot gas. The hot gas is cooled in the indoor unit by passing air, heating the air and condensing the the gas to warm liquid. The warm liquid is relieved of pressure as it enters the outdoor unit, turning it to cool liquid and renewing the cycle.
Heat Pump Installation
Installing a heat pump can be a complex task, requiring a thorough understanding of HVAC systems and electrical connections. The intricate nature of the installation process emphasizes the importance of having an expert handle the job. Your local Carrier expert possess the knowledge, experience, and expertise necessary to ensure a seamless and efficient installation. From assessing the specific heating and cooling requirements of a space to correctly sizing and positioning the heat pump, they meticulously plan and execute the installation, considering factors such as ductwork, electrical compatibility, and optimal placement. Entrusting the installation to a Carrier expert ensures not only a properly functioning heat pump but also peace of mind, knowing that the system has been installed with precision and adherence to safety standards.
HOW A HEAT PUMP WORKS – REVIEW
Heat pumps are versatile, efficient cooling and heating systems. Thanks to a reversing valve, a heat pump can change the flow of refrigerant and either heat or cool a home. Air is blown over an evaporator coil, transferring heat energy from the air to the refrigerant. That heat energy is circulated in the refrigerant to a condenser coil, where it is released as a fan blows air across the coil. Through this process, heat is pumped from one place to another.
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