When a heat pump cools a home, it takes heat from the air inside the home and pumps it outdoor. To make heat, the pump collects heat from air, water or the ground outside and moves it indoors. It basically moves heat from one place to another. If you live in a warmer climate you will need to purchase a pump with a high Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating. This means that it will be more efficient and not use as much power as it needs to provide cool air to the home on a more frequent basis. When they are creating heat in the winter, they use coils that are located outside the home. They collect ice which the pump then melts and pushes the resulting warm air into the house. If you live in a colder climate, you will have increased operating costs in the winter.

An air conditioner is completely different from a heat pump in AZ. Air conditioners make their own cold air by evaporating Freon or another refrigerant product. There are coils both inside and outside for central air. The unit has a compressor to change the Freon gas into hot, high pressure gas that travels through the coils. When it does this, it loses heat and becomes liquid. The liquid then evaporates into a cold, low pressure gas. As this gas enters the coils it absorbs the indoor heat and lowers the room temperature.

Once you know how each system operates, you can make a choice as to which system is better for you. If you live in an area that has hot summers and mild winters, you might want to go with just an air conditioner. You might not need to heat your house in the winter. If you need to heat your house in the winter, you could still choose to have an air conditioner plus regular gas heat.

Company Resource: Heat Pump, Household Heat Pump, Swimming Pool Heat Pump