What is an air-source heat pump?
Air-source heat pumps (ASHPs) provide heating and AC by pushing heat into your home in the winter and pulling heat out of your home in the summer. ASHPs are a renewable alternative to traditional fossil-fuel-burning HVAC systems, such as furnaces, boilers, and AC units. ASHPs When a hotter material comes into contact with a colder one, the temperature difference causes heat to move from hot to cold. This principle can be applied to heating and cooling homes with high efficiency using heat pumps.
Are air-source heat pumps effective even in extreme climates?
Yes and no. Air-source heat pump technology has improved over the past few decades to heat and cool effectively even in extreme seasonal climates like the American Northeast. However, not all ASHPs are created equal, and some are more effective than others in particular geographic regions. Additionally, during these seasonal extremes, more electricity will be required to heat and cool your home.
How do air-source heat pumps compare to other types of heat pumps?
There are 2 primary types of heat pumps in residential applications: ASHPs and geothermal ground-source heat pumps (GSHPs). ASHPs transfer heat between the air outside and inside the home, and GSHPS transfer heat between the ground and inside the home.
The primary differences are convenience and efficiency. ASHPs are more convenient for more people because they do not require the installation of ground loops on your property. ASHPs are not dependent on geography, so it is easier to install an ASHP than a ground-source heat pump.
Different heat pumps also differ in efficiency. ASHPs are less efficient than GSHPs, which means that they are more costly to operate. GSHPs draw heat from underground, which maintains a consistent 50 to 55 degree temperature in all seasons. Meanwhile, ASHPs always have to work harder and consume more electricity than GSHPs do because weather and temperature change daily above ground. In other words, in terms of cost and efficiency, ASHPs are no match for GSHPs.
How efficient are air-source heat pumps?
The efficiency of heating and cooling systems can be objectively compared using a measurement called the Coefficient of Performance (COP). Heat pumps are currently the only residential heating and cooling option with a COP score above 1 — the break-even point between energy consumed and produced by the system.
Most air-source heat pumps have a COP of around 3, which is far more efficient than traditional HVAC systems. Most HVAC systems actually consume more energy than they produce with COPs of less than 1.
GSHPs like Dandelion’s have a COP of ~4. This means that, for every 1 unit of energy used to operate the Dandelion system, it produces 4 units of energy to heat and cool your home.
