Cold weather quickly approaches, which means that for many people it's time to start Refuel the heat In their homes and apartments. But for many Americans, heating their houses is an expensive thing – and it only becomes more expensive. A new study of the National Association of Directors of Energy Assistance (Neada) assesses that House heating prices will increase by about 7.6 percent From last year's average winter heating.
One of the frequently thought -out ways to reduce the use of energy is to switch to Thermal pump Instead of use old -fashioned stove or boilerThis exchange can be very economically effective, saving around 370 dollars a yearField air-to-air Heat pumps can also be economically effective even without subsidies in 59 percent of householdsAnd the advantages of energy and money saving are intensified when using highly effective equipment and isolation. 2021 paper found that 32 percent of houses in the United States will win economic benefits from installing a heat pump And 70 percent of the United States houses will see a reduction in emissions. The average savings for an American house, which makes a switch, has nothing to laugh, with even greater savings when receiving an exchange of fuel oil, propane or traditional electric heating.
While thermal pumps in the United States are traditionally associated with warmer places, they begin to become more possible for colder climate. “You can buy a heat pump for most climate in the United States, and it can reduce your electricity accounts”, EllisonProfessor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, tells Popular scienceThe field of some Mahvi studies are devoted to how to make more effective systems of heat pumps for cold climate.
This is how the heat pump works, and why is it a technology that needs to be monitored, even if HVAC Located in an untouched form.
[ Related: Heat pumps still get the job done in extreme cold. ]
How thermal pumps work
The heat pump itself is not a new invention – Roots return in the 1850sProbably, you already have one in your house – in your refrigerator, says Jan ShapiroProfessor of the University of Syracuse, who specializes in the research of heat pumps. The refrigerator works, taking the heat from the chili last night and the semi -painting basket of the berries and moving it to your kitchen, he adds. Then this holds your residues at a cool temperature resistant to bacteria. This process works with the help of a very simple law of nature – survival will always move from high temperature to low temperature, even if both temperatures under consideration are quite low.
From the point of view Thermal pump that warms the houseThis requires a very cold refrigerant, which is usually 30 degrees colder than the outer air, Shapiro adds. Even when the external temperature is 30 degrees Fahrenheit, the heat still moves to the refrigerant, which is at 0 degrees in Fahrenheit. When this happens, the refrigerant evaporates and compresses with a very high pressure of several hundred pounds per square inch.
“What happens when the gas is compressed? Burning, ”he adds.
This hot air is then scattered into the house. Heat pumps can also work in the opposite direction, taking hot air from the inside of the house and sending it back to the street – just like a traditional air conditioner.
What are the types of thermal pumps?
These air-air-to-air heat pumps are the most common type. They work, stretching heat from the air inside or outside the house, and then putting it off heat in the opposite direction, depending on the season.
Air heat pumps They still take heat outside the air, but instead of heating the air in the house, it is supplied to the moist central heating system, which works as gas central heating.
Thermal pumps on the ground Geothermal thermal pumps Remove heat from the underground to heat the house to the cold seasons and turn to you when it heats up. There are even some systems that have received duplicated hybrid heat pumps that work the same way as traditional heat pumps, but remain in touch with the furnace system in case of extremely cold weather
The advantages of the heat pump
Energy Efficiency is the main advantage of the heat pump, since it accepts heat and moves it around, instead of generating it from scratch, as the boiler or stove does. According to International Energy AgencyThe productivity coefficient (the ratio of electricity to thermal energy) is about four, which makes current models 3-5 times more energy-efficient than gas boilers.
The most interesting in thermal pumps is that there is still a significant place for improvement, while we largely determined how to make the burning systems more effective.
“We have done everything we are going to do with fossil fuel, and this is not so with thermal pumps,” says Shapiro.
One of the major events that we have already seen over the past few decades is development Heat pump with a variable speedThey help to enhance the influence of the heat pump in Very cold weather Without the need to run it at high speed all year round, adds Shapiro. But there are still many to make heat pumps better – leaks in heat exchangers, control of the speed of compressors, setting up defroster, in order to defrost only if necessary, and even check how to place thermostats and other equipment in the house can affect the efficiency of the heat pump.
“We are looking for all these little savings, and I think they are going to fold,” he adds.
Until recently, there were significant federal tax benefits to help ordinary Americans get heat pumps and other increase in energy efficiency in their homes. Politics changes these Advantages are currently limited until the end of 2025The field of some states, including CaliforniaIN New YorkIN MaineIN GeorgiaAnd New MexicoThe advantages that local residents can also use are still used. Although the loss of federal tax benefits is not high, Mahvi says that these changes in politics are more speed than a car accident.
Installation costs are also still a high barrier for entering, as It costs an average of $ 10,750The field but the word about this technology continues to spread. Americans bought 32 percent more than thermal pumps in the air than gas stoves in 2024, according to Data from the Institute of air conditioning, heating and coolingThe Makhvi field says that the costs are still falling over time, but the key is to start thinking about how realistic to get the heat pump now, even if your HVAC is in perfect shape.
“If your heating system dies in the middle of winter, you will not spend three weeks to get the right contractors,” says Mahvi, “I would recommend that people spend a little time, thinking about what they want to do in the future with their home.
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