Forced Air Heat Pumps: Heating + Cooling

When you wake up to a warm house on a freezing cold winter day, you don’t care where your heat comes from — you’re just glad it’s there. However, if you’re facing a repair, possible replacement, or building a new house, it’s probably time to dig in and get informed about your heating system.

If your house is like the vast majority of Americans, you have three main options when it comes to heating your home: a furnace, a boiler, or a forced air heat pump.

When they were invented in the 1940s, forced air heat pumps were considered the worst option for home heat because they struggled in temperatures below 33 degrees. In the 21^st century, that’s is no longer a problem and heat pumps are considered the best for reasons such as efficiency, price, safety, and versatility.

Read on to learn about forced air heat pumps and why you might want one heating your home.

How Do Forced Air Heat Pumps Work?

Heat pumps warm the air by utilizing the refrigeration cycle — just in reverse. Even in cold winter air, heat is present, just not very much of it. Heat pumps pull cold outside air into a metal compressor where a chemical refrigerant extracts the heat in a gas form. That pure gaseous heat can then be used to heat your home.

Forced Air Heat Pumps vs. Furnaces and Boilers

So technically speaking, forced air heat pumps don’t create heat. They find heat — even in very cold air — and transfer it inside where you need it.

This creates the most important contrast between forced air heat pumps and the other two home heating methods.

Furnaces use air to distribute heat and boilers use water to create radiant heat but they do have some similarities. Both heating systems typically burn a fossil fuel to create heat. While some furnaces can run on electricity, all heat pumps use electricity.

These differences create some of the unique advantages that come from using heat pumps.

Forced Air Heat Pumps: Efficiency

For moderate climates, like the one in New Jersey, heat pumps are the most energy efficient winter heating system.

Energy.gov estimates that, compared to electric baseboard heat, forced air heat pumps are 50% more efficient. In addition, they estimate that forced air heat pumps may be even more efficient than fossil fuel furnaces and boilers — even if the comparison isn’t exactly apples to apples.

Forced Air Heat Pumps: Safety

Any well-maintained heating system can be 100% safe for you and your family. Forced air heat pumps have one distinct safety advantage.

Since they don’t burn fossil fuels, they completely eliminate the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Produced as a byproduct of burning fossil fuels, tasteless, odorless carbon monoxide can cause death or permanent brain damage under extreme conditions. With a forced air heat pump, this will NEVER be an issue.

Whether you have a boiler, furnace, or forced air heat pump, you will always need maintenance to ensure it runs strong and efficiently all winter long.

Forced Air Heat Pumps Pulling Double Duty

Since your forced air heat pump employs the refrigeration cycle to heat your home — it has a neat trick up its sleeve. Your heat pump can also pull double duty as an air conditioner, cooling your home in the summer.

That means if you’re building a new house, and want both heating and cooling for one price, you want a forced air heat pump.

One Hour For Your Heating and Cooling Needs

Most homeowners are thankful that their heat works — they don’t need to know how it works. Leave that to us.

No matter which of the three main heating options you have, our technicians ensure your heating system remains 100% safe and that you stay warm all winter.

The same goes for your air conditioning, we have the tools and techniques to keep you safe and keep you feeling comfortable.

When it comes to your HVAC system, we handle it all. Contact us for all of your heating and cooling needs.