Learn About Heat Pumps

Enjoy year-round indoor comfort with heat pumps. These units provide both cooling and heating comfort from a single system. High-efficiency heat pumps can lower the cost of keeping a home completely comfortable all year compared to lower SEER2/HSPF2 units. We offers a full line of heat pump systems, so you are certain to find the perfect system to fit any budget. For the greatest energy-efficiency savings, select a heat pump system with the highest SEER2 and HSPF2 ratings.

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                 How They Work

In cooling mode, heat pumps maintain cool, comfortable temperatures while reducing humidity levels inside your home. Here's how:

Heat Pump in Cooling Mode: Warm air from the inside of your house is pulled into duct-work by a motorized fan. A compressor circulates refrigerant between the indoor evaporator and outdoor condensing units. The warm indoor air then travels to the air handler while refrigerant is pumped from the exterior condenser coil to the interior evaporator coil. The refrigerant absorbs the heat as it passes over the indoor air. This cooled and dehumidified air is then pushed through connecting indoor ducts to air vents throughout the home, lowering the interior temperature.  The refrigeration cycle continues again, providing a consistent method to keep you cool. 

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For many years, heat pumps were reserved for locations that typically experience milder winters. However, advanced technology has enabled these systems to be used in areas with extended periods of cold temperatures.

Heat Pump in Heating Mode: A heat pump switches to heat mode by reversing the refrigeration cycle, making the outside coil function as the evaporator and the indoor coil as the condenser. The refrigerant flows through a closed system of refrigeration lines between the outdoor and the indoor unit. Although outdoor temperatures are cold, enough heat energy is absorbed from the outside air by the condenser coil and release inside by the evaporator coil. Air from the inside of your house is pulled into duct-work by a motorized fan. The refrigerant is pumped from the interior coil to the exterior coil, where it absorbs the heat from the air. This warmed air is then pushed through connecting ducts to air vents throughout the home, increasing the interior temperature. The refrigeration cycle continues again, providing a consistent method to keep you warm.

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             Cold climate Heat Pumps: 

Cold climate heat pumps are designed to provide heating at temperatures below zero. DOE’s cold climate challenge specification requires performance reporting at -5°F or -15°F and includes partial load tests at 47°F. Depending on model chosen or if back up heat is needed they will use less energy and use up less space on your current electrical panel.  

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 ‍Quality:

At Portland Heating and Air Conditioning our comfort adviser will be able to offer you many high quality products, with feature sets that will meet or exceed the needs to condition your home and provide the energy savings, lowering your operating cost, and providing the comfort we all need. ‍If you purchase a multi-speed or variable-capacity furnace or fan coil with your unit, you will enhance both the comfort and the efficiency of your air conditioning or heat pump system even further.

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