How Does A Heat Pump Work?

Heat pumps might sound complicated, but they’re actually pretty straightforward once you understand the basic idea: instead of burning fuel to create heat or using electricity to generate cooling, they move heat from one place to another. Think of it as a two-way air conditioner that can run in reverse depending on what your home needs.

During summer, your heat pump works just like a regular air conditioner, pulling heat out of your house and dumping it outside to keep you cool. But here’s where it gets clever – when winter comes around, the system flips into reverse and extracts heat from the outdoor air (even when it’s cold outside, there’s still heat energy available) and pumps that warmth into your home.

The magic happens through refrigerant that circulates between indoor and outdoor coils, absorbing heat in one location and releasing it in another. A reversing valve changes the direction of refrigerant flow, switching the system between heating and cooling modes. The outdoor unit contains a compressor that pressurizes the refrigerant, while the indoor unit distributes conditioned air through your existing ductwork.

What makes heat pumps particularly smart for our Carolina climate is that they work efficiently in moderate temperatures, which covers most of our heating and cooling season. They use significantly less electricity than traditional electric heat and provide consistent, comfortable temperatures without the hot and cold spots you get with some other heating methods.