Posts Tagged ‘Heat Pumps’

Princeton Heating Question: What is COP (Coefficient of Performance) and Why Is It Important?

Tuesday, September 4th, 2012

There are a lot of numbers attached to your Princeton heat pump designed to tell you how much energy it consumes, how efficient it is and how that efficiency compares to what you would get out of other systems. One such number is the coefficient of performance – a measurement that shows how the energy consumed by the heat pump compares to the amount of heat energy produced by that heat pump.

The higher the COP rating of your system, the more efficient it is. Most COP ratings are a decimal between 0.5 and 3.0. Keep in mind as well that some heating systems use other ratings to express the same idea. One example of this is the AFUE rating of a gas furnace.

For an electrical heating system or a heat pump, the COP is very important because it has a direct impact on how much energy you consume each winter to keep your home comfortable. If the weather outside is colder, can your system produce enough heat energy from that colder air?

If you are considering having a new heating system installed in your Princeton home, it’s a good idea to make sure you choose one with as high a COP as possible within your budget while still matching the output needs of your home. Heritage Air and Heat can help you do just this.

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Lawrenceville Heat Pump Installation Guide: What to Look For in a New Heat Pump

Monday, May 21st, 2012

When you are making a big purchase, like a new heat pump for your Lawrenceville home, you want to make sure that you are getting a good deal. You also need to make sure it has the features that you want and that it fits the needs of your home.

  • When you are choosing a new heat pump, one of the most important features to look for is the energy efficiency. Heat pumps have two efficiency ratings, SEER and HSPF. SEER stands for seasonal energy efficiency ratio, and it is a measure of the how efficiently your heat pump cools. HSPF stands for heating season performance factor, which a ratio of the heat produced divided by the total electricity used. For both of these ratings, the higher the number is, the more efficient the unit. Heat pumps, just like air conditioners, can receive the ENERGY STAR label if they meet certain requirements of energy efficiency.
  • You should also think about getting a heat pump that has demand defrost control. Heat pumps with demand defrost control only run the defrost cycle when it is needed, instead of on a timer, which reduces how much energy your unit uses.
  • When you have your new heat pump installed, remember to have it placed away from windows, since the fans and compressor will make some noise. You can also install the unit on a noise absorbing base to reduce sound levels.
  • When you get your new heat pump, you might also think about getting a programmable thermostat. A programmable thermostat will allow you to turn down the heat pump during the times of day you don’t need it, such as when everyone is at work or school, which will save you energy without sacrificing comfort. However, you need to make sure that your programmable thermostat supports multi-stage functions, which are necessary for the thermostat to work with many models of heat pumps.

When trying to choose the perfect heat pump for your home, the best thing you can do is consult with a  a professional Lawrenceville HVAC contractor. They will be able to go over with you all the features that you need and help you chose the right model for your budget. For any heat pump installation questions, give Heritage Air and Heat a call!

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Common New Jersey Heat Pump Performance Problems: A Troubleshooting Guide

Monday, April 16th, 2012

Your New Jersey heat pump needs to work year round to provide heat and air conditioning. This is why you want to make sure it’s performing as efficiently as possible to save on energy costs and prevent break downs. You should schedule an annual maintenance check-up and inspection with a certified HVAC technician to test the efficiency levels.

However, there are a few common causes of performance issues to be aware of so that you can be sure your heat pump performs at optimal levels. Call Heritage Air & Heat if you have questions about heat pump performance issues, or to make an appointment for an annual inspection and professional cleaning.

New Jersey HVAC

Airflow Issues

You need a certain amount of airflow for your heat pump to work efficiently. If you have an airflow less than 350 cubic feet per minute, it will cost more for your heat pump to heat and cool your home. Your HVAC contractor will check your airflow at your annual maintenance inspection. You can help airflow by keeping your coils clean. Sometimes your air ducts are the wrong size for your heat pump or your fan is not going faster enough, but often cleaning the coils and changing air filters will improve airflow. It’s one of the many reasons that you should have your heat pump cleaned and inspected at least once a year. If you suspect that your heat pump is having problems with air flow, call a professional HVAC technician to come out and take a look.

Air Leaks in the Duct System

Inefficient or poorly-designed duct systems may not distribute air properly throughout your home because of potential air leaks. There should always be a balance between the intake and return air in a forced air system, which helps maintain a neutral pressure within the house and increase efficiency. Some contractors argue over how tightly a house should be sealed for this reason, but if your New Jersey heat pump is losing heat through leaks in the air ducts, this will greatly affect its efficiency.

Improper Refrigerant

Refrigerant leaks are another common cause of low performance levels in heat pumps. Most heat pumps already have refrigerant when they leave the factory and shouldn’t have any issues. Heat pumps that are charged with refrigerant when they are installed can sometimes have the wrong amount of refrigerant. Either too much or too little refrigerant will lower the heat pump’s efficiency and performance levels. Always check the recommended refrigerant amount or ask an HVAC technician before you add refrigerant yourself.

If the heat pump in your New Jersey home isn’t working properly, it is also affecting your heating bills. Call Heritage Air & Heat today to set up an appointment.

 

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Tinton Falls Heating Guide: Pros and Cons of Various Heating Systems

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

When it comes time to install a new heating system in your Tinton Falls home, there are a lot of options to consider. Many people get overwhelmed when confronted with all of the furnaces, boilers and heat pumps on the market these days. So, to help you get a handle on what each has to offer and which will offer you the best benefits, here is an overview of the modern heating system market.

Furnaces

Furnaces are the core of a forced air heating system and use gas, oil or electricity to heat air which is then circulated through your home by a blower in your air handler. Furnaces are among the most fuel efficient heating systems on the market today with options available at up to 95% AFUE (meaning it uses up to 95% of the fuel consumed to produce heat). They are also inexpensive to install and while they don’t last quite as long as boilers, they are highly efficient when well cared for.

Boilers

Boilers use gas, oil or electricity to heat water or steam which is then circulated through your home into radiators or baseboard heaters. The heated water or steam releases heat into your home and heats it in turn. While not quite as energy efficient as a high efficiency furnace, boiler heat is perfect for homes with existing radiators and no room for vents and ductwork. It also has less of an impact on indoor air quality since there is no air movement and boilers tend to last a very long time when well maintained.

Heat Pumps

Heat pumps are becoming increasingly popular, especially in milder climates where it rarely gets below 40 degrees F. A heat pump uses the same technology as an air conditioner to extract heat from outside using a compressor, evaporator coils, and condenser coils with refrigerant.

It is most efficient in the spring and fall when temperatures are mild, but it uses much less energy than either a boiler or furnace and it can be used in the summer to cool your Tinton Falls home. When properly maintained, a heat pump will last 10-20 years and save quite a bit of money, though it is recommended that you have an emergency heat source for days when the temperature outside gets below 40 degrees F.

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How to Maintain High Efficiency Filters to Reduce Stress on Your Heat Pump: A Guide from Jackson

Friday, December 2nd, 2011

The filter on your heat pump is an integral part of your Jackson home’s comfort system. Without that filter, the device will quickly be subjected to an influx of debris and contaminants that can get into the machinery and the air being filtered into your home. As a result, you need to make sure you properly maintain the filters to reduce stress on your heat pump.

Change Your Filters

High efficiency filters are designed to remove as much of the airborne contaminants in the air as possible. This is fantastic for keeping your indoor air clean. But if you don’t properly maintain the filter, air quality can worsen and your heat pump is put under unnecessary stress. Specifically, the extremely tight knit filter, designed to stop nearly anything from getting through, gets clogged.

Now your heat pump is forced to work much harder to draw the air it needs from outside and heat or cool your home. On top of that, the filter is filled with contaminants that can start to leak back into the air supply, actually making your indoor air quality worse than it would be otherwise. That’s why it is so important to clean your filters on a regular basis (for permanent filters) and replace them if they are one time use.

Recommended Filters

You have options as to which types of filters you use for your heat pump. Filters come in multiple options, from super high MERV rated filters that trap up to 99% of all contaminants as small as 0.3 microns.

Electrostatic filters are especially efficient because they extract contaminants of all types – from dust and mold to smoke and gas fumes. A good filtration system should effectively remove anything from the air without needing replacement too often.

Permanent filters tend to offer the best protection against airborne contaminants and generally need to be cleaned once a month. HEPA filters are often permanent and while each filter is different, these are often extremely effective at minimizing contaminants in the air without putting stress on your heat pump.

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Air Source Heat Pumps (and Happy Halloween Weekend!)

Friday, October 28th, 2011

Everyone at Heritage Home Services wishes you a Happy Halloween Weekend! Have a great time as a ghost, a goblin, or anything in between! And to keep your house warm after you are done trick or treating, today we have some information about heat pumps for you.

Most heating systems have as their main component some sort of heat generator, such as a furnace or boiler. These machines generate heat through some form of combustion, which obviously converts energy directly to heat, which is then distributed throughout the home. That’s a pretty simplified schematic explanation, but that’s more or less how most heating systems work.

Air source heat pumps are another type of heating solution; one that does not actually produce or generate any actual heat. There is no combustion. What an air source heat pump (ASHP) does instead is regulate the temperature of the home by essentially moving air around.

An air source heat pump use electricity to exchange indoor and outdoor air. Think of it like a more versatile air conditioner. In cooling mode, like an air conditioner, an ASHP will pump warm air from the inside out, using a system of refrigerant-filled coils and a compressor. By turning the ASHP to heating mode, the refrigerant flow is reversed, allowing the outdoor coils to extract heat from the outdoor air and pump it in higher concentrations to the inside.

If it seems like a simple system, that’s because it is. All the heat pump does is move heat either in or out, depending on what you need in the current season. Because this process generates no heat on its own, heat pumps can be very efficient. ASHP efficiency has been estimated at 150% to 300%, meaning that the heat energy produced is up to three times as much as the electricity used. That makes for a very efficient home heating and cooling solution.

Air source heat pumps are not necessarily right for every situation, however. In colder climates, where temperatures drop below 30 degrees Fahrenheit for stretches at a time, a heat pump will likely not be able to keep up on its own. In these situations, you may either need to supplement the ASHP with an additional heating source, or use a different system altogether. Newer so-called “cold climate” heat pumps may also be an option. Under ideal circumstances, an air source heat pump can act as a complete home heating system, as well as providing heat for hot water.

If you are looking for a simple and efficient home heating solution, look into whether an air source heat pump can work for you.

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How Does a Heat Pump Work? A Question from Hopewell

Friday, October 21st, 2011

If you’re in the market for a new home heating and cooling system in Hopewell, a heat pump is definitely an option worth considering. However, while the popularity of these systems is growing rapidly, many people still don’t understand what they’re all about. Before you go out and get yourself a new home comfort system, you should make sure you really know what you’re looking at

As their name suggests, heat pumps move heat from one location to another. However, their name can be misleading as well. Heat pumps are able to both heat your home in the winter and keep it cool in the summer by taking heat from the air in one place and sending it to another.

For example, your heat pump will remove the heat from your indoor air in the summer and pump it outside to keep your home cool. In the winter, the process is reversed, and the heat pump gathers heat from the outdoor air and pumps it inside to keep you house warm.

Of course, it’s not hard to see how the air inside your home in the summer has heat in it. But the outdoor air in the winter is cold. So how does a heat pump heat your house with cold air? Well, the truth is that there is almost always some heat in the air, no matter how cold it seems to you and me.

In fact, the temperature would have to drop well into the negative range before there was absolutely no heat to be found in the air. And heat pumps are specially designed to find that heat and collect it.

Basically all heat pumps work on this principle. However, they can’t keep your house comfortable all on their own. Heat pumps are usually installed as part of a complete home heating and cooling system. This means they’ll be paired with an air handler that can circulate the temperature controlled air throughout the house.

There are also some heat pumps that supplement the amount of heat they’re able to pull out of the air by heating it as it passes through. These types of heat pumps are often more effective in cooler areas, but because they require more energy to actually generate heat, they’re not typically as energy efficient as models that rely on their ability to get heat only out of the air.

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How Efficient Is a Heat Pump? A Tip from Brielle

Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

Heat pumps are actually remarkably efficient when compared to some of the home heating alternatives out there in Brielle. Especially if you’re already using electricity to heat your home, you can get generate huge savings on your monthly energy bills by switching to a heat pump system.

As their name suggests, heat pumps remove heat from the air and transfer that heat from one area to another. That means that in the winter, your heat pump will remove the heat from the air outside your home and pump that heat in to heat your home. During the summer months, that process is actually reversed, and heat pumps are able to cool your home by collecting the heat from your indoor air and pumping it outside.

Since heat pumps are actually just moving heat from one place to another rather than generating it all on their own, they don’t require much energy at all to operate. While you can buy furnaces that are as much as 97% energy efficient, they’re still using more energy than a heat pump would. The fact that the furnace is turning the vast majority of the energy that it uses into heat doesn’t mean that it still doesn’t require more energy to operate.

Just because heat pumps are more efficient than many other types of heating systems, you can’t just assume that all heat pumps are equally energy efficient. Just as different types and models of furnaces have different energy efficiency ratings, so too do the many types, sizes and models of heat pumps. Make sure you thoroughly compare your options before you settle on the right system for your home.

The energy efficiency rating of a furnace is easy to recognize, as each of them comes with a standard AFUE rating. If you’re looking to switch to heat pumps, however, it’s easy to get confused when you’re trying to compare the energy efficiency of various models.

Heat pumps actually have two separate measurements for energy efficiency. These are the seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) and the heating seasonal performance factor (HSPF). Energy efficiency measurements for heat pumps reflect both the cooling and heating efficiency of the system, and so what’s best for you may vary depending on what you’re more likely to use your heat pump for. If you have any questions about what is right for your home, contact your local contractor.

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