Deciding between a central air conditioner and a heat pump can be difficult. Both systems offer their own unique pros and cons. But one does stand apart with some additional benefits but the other system does not offer.
When you’re ready to schedule heat pump service in Fresno, give our team a call. In the meantime, you can keep reading to learn about central air conditioners, heat pumps, and the differences between the two.
Central Air Conditioning
A central air conditioner and a heat pump operate in very similar ways to provide cooling for your home. A central air conditioner has refrigerant that cycles through lines to absorb heat from air that blows over the coils and then channels that heat outside of your home to the outdoor portion of your air conditioning unit, where heat and humidity get released. Central air conditioners sometimes have a bad reputation for being inefficient, but this is an old myth.
Technology has expanded a lot in the HVAC industry to make central air conditioners highly efficient. As long as the attached ductwork is properly sealed and airtight, you shouldn’t have any issues with your central air conditioner cooling your home effectively while using less energy. And if energy efficiency is a concern, you can always invest in a central air conditioner that has a higher SEER2 rating to guarantee that you will cut energy costs even more.
Heat Pump
A heat pump works the same way as a central air conditioner for cooling your home. However, a heat pump has a reversing valve and a few extra components that allow it to operate as a heater for your home as well. With a central air conditioner, you also have to have a separate furnace installed for heating your home in the fall and winter months.
But with a heat pump, you have all-in-one heating and cooling. This is because the reversing valve allows the refrigerant to move in the opposite direction. Instead of removing heat from your home, the refrigerant cycles outside to absorb heat and bring it into your home to provide warmth. This is the one thing that sets a heat pump apart from a central air conditioner.
Both are comparative in energy efficiency and how they operate for cooling. But if you want to have an all-in-one system and save space over having a separate furnace, a heat pump is the way to do that. And if you do install a heat pump and find that it doesn’t heat your home as well as you expected, you can always install a small furnace to help boost heating ability. This is called a dual fuel system, and it’s something that we can install for homeowners.
No matter which system you’re going with, you’re going to have an excellent system for cooling. The question is, what do you expect out of a heater? If you want a safer and more energy-efficient option, a heat pump is the way to go. Heat pumps beat out furnaces in energy efficiency and safety because of the unique way that they operate.
California Indoor Comfort: Where comfort and technology come together. Schedule an appointment today for HVAC service.