Air source heat pumps

The most common type of heat pump is an air-source heat

pump, which transfers the hot air between your house and the
outdoors. ASHP’s are more common than you think, they have
been used for many years in nearly all parts of the United States.
Recently, ASHP’s have advanced in technology, so that they can
offer a legitimate space-heating alternative in colder regions.

Water source heat pumps

Water source heat pumps are another type of heat pump that
moves through an interconnected water loop and is either
rejected through a cooling tower or put to work in other areas. If
one unit goes down, the other units are not affected, and they are
conveniently located in areas that are easy to access. (above the
ceiling or in closet units) WSHPs are ideal for many building
types including office buildings, apartment buildings, hotels,
condominiums, schools, etc.
 How efficient is it?
Air-to-air heat pumps are highly efficient, as air-source heat
pumps can deliver up to three times more heat energy to a home
than the electrical energy it consumes and the average annual
savings are nearly 3,000 kWh or about $300. This happens
because instead of trying to generate heat, heat pumps move the
air around. Today's heat pumps can reduce your electricity use
for heating by approximately 50% compared to electric heating
systems, such as furnaces and baseboard heaters.
High-efficiency heat pumps also dehumidify better than
standard central air conditioners. This results in less energy
usage and more cooling comfort in the summer.
Pros
● Heat pumps save space.
● Heat pumps are energy efficient.
● Heat pumps are better for the environment.
● Heat pumps improve air quality.
● Lower cost in the long run.
● Long life span.
 Cons
● High Upfront Cost.
● Difficult to Install.
● Questionable Sustainability.
● Requires Significant Work.
● Issues in Cold Weather.
● Not Entirely Carbon Neutral.
● Planning Permission Required.

How Ac Units Work

A standard air conditioner/ cooling system uses three main
mechanical components: a compressor, a condenser coil, and an
evaporator coil. These components work together to quickly
convert the refrigerant from gas to liquid and then back to gas.

Compressors:
The compressor raises the pressure and temperature
of the refrigerant gas and sends it to the condenser
coil where it is converted to a liquid.

Thermostat:
The cooling process starts when the thermostat senses
that the air temperature needs to be lowered and sends a
signal to the AC systems components inside and outside
of the home. From there the fan from the indoor unit pulls
hot air from inside the house through return air ducts, here
air passes through filters where dust, lint, etc. are collected.
Refrigerant:
Then the refrigerant travels back indoors and enters the
evaporator coil. This is where the liquid refrigerant
evaporates and cools the indoor coil. A fan will blow
indoor air across the cold evaporator coil and the heat
inside the home is absorbed into the refrigerant. The cooled
air is circulated throughout the home while the heated
evaporated gas is sent back outside to the compressor, once
the heat is released into the outdoor air as the refrigerant
returns back into a liquid.

Filters:
Once the hot air passes through the filter, the air will pass
over the cold evaporator coil. As the liquid refrigerant inside
the evaporator coil converts to gas, heat from the indoor air
is absorbed into the refrigerant, thus cooling the air as it
passes over the coil. The indoor unit’s fan pumps the chilled
air back through the home’s ductwork and into the space.
 The Past and Future of Heat Pumps
The first heat pump was built in 1856 by Peter Von Rittinger.
He recognized the principle of the heat pump while conducting
experiments on the use of water vapor’s latent heat for the
evaporation of salt brine. Soon later Austria used the heat pump
to dry salt in salt marshes. Many years later the first large-scale
heat pump was built by John Sumner in 1945. This heat pump
was supposed to be used to heat up an office space. After that,
he made a system from salvaged parts based on a SO2
refrigerant. The system ran at an average thermal delivery of
147kW and had a peak output of 234kW. The system was
designed to circulate water around the building’s heat emitter
systems at 50-55°C. In 1948 the first electric heat pump was
installed in the United States by Robert C. Weber. Then in the
1970s, the heat pump started to take off.

In the future, they hope people will be using heat pumps to heat
and cool their homes instead of propane, gas, etc.

What is a heat pump?

Heat pumps use electricity to transfer heat from a cool space to a
warm space, making the cool space cooler and the warm space
warmer. Heat pumps move heat from the cool outdoors into your
warm house and from your house into the outdoors.