Does a Heat Pump Cool as Well as an Air Conditioner | Kearney HVAC (2024)

FAQs

Does a Heat Pump Cool as Well as an Air Conditioner | Kearney HVAC? ›

The short answer is yes, they do, and we'll get into the details below. Because, though the name suggests otherwise, a heat pump doesn't just heat; it cools, too!

Though the name seems to suggest otherwise, heat pumps don't just heat—they cool too! In fact, a heat pump can cool your home just as well as an air conditioner. A heat pump with a 16 SEER rating works just as efficiently as an air conditioner with a 16 SEER rating.

Heat pumps have a high upfront cost. However, their operating costs do translate into long-term savings on energy bills, leading to a path of reduced carbon emissions.

A heat pump can definitely cool a house in 100-degree weather. The most important thing is to have a heat pump professionally sized, zoned, and installed so that it's customized to your home.

A heat pump can both heat and cool a home, compared to an air conditioner which only provides cooling. In other words it's a replacement for both your air conditioner and your furnace or boiler. That means when you install a heat pump you're getting two major appliances for the price of one.

Heat pumps do not operate as efficiently when temperatures drop to between 25 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit for most systems. A heat pump works best when the temperature is above 40. Once outdoor temperatures drop to 40 degrees, heat pumps start losing efficiency, and they consume more energy to do their jobs.

Since heat pumps are essentially air conditioners that work both to heat and cool homes rather than just cool them, it's relatively simple to install them in place of existing one-way AC systems.

The life expectancy of a heat pump depends on several factors, such as the type of heat pump, your location, and how well the heat pump is maintained. Heat pumps normally last an average of 15 years, though some can wear out after a decade. Some of the newer units being manufactured today can last a bit longer.

While usage habits and frequency of annual tune-ups for maintenance have a great impact on system longevity, air conditioners typically average a longer service life than an air source heat pump.

Heat pumps will lower your utility bill.

Because heat pumps are 2 to 3 times more efficient than many traditional heating systems, homeowners are upgrading to heat pumps to reduce their high energy bills and protect themselves from the price spikes that come with extreme weather or high energy demand.

What is the 100 degree rule for heat pumps? ›

100˚ Over Ambient Rule of Thumb

This guideline states that a properly charged unit will have a discharge line temperature of 100˚ – 110˚ above the outdoor temperature. If the discharge line is too hot, add refrigerant (If the charge is the issue and not another problem).

Simply put, it means you should never set your thermostat for a temperature more than 20 degrees cooler than the outside air. Why not? Most air conditioning systems can only handle a 20-degree difference between the outside and inside air temperatures.

What Temperature Should You Set Your Thermostat When It's 100 Degrees? A good rule of thumb is during the hottest days when the dial reaches 100 degrees it is best to set your AC to somewhere between 75 and 80 degrees.

However, even though heat pumps have higher equipment costs and cost more to install, the cost to run them long-term is lower since they're typically more efficient than a comparable air conditioner.

Heat pumps work like air conditioners, but it's as if they went to graduate school for advanced degrees—because they can heat your home too. So even though its name would make it seem otherwise, yes, a heat pump superbly cools your home in summer.

A heat pump is part of a home heating and cooling system and is installed outside your home. Like an air conditioner such as central air, it can cool your home, but it's also capable of providing heat.

When it's 90 degrees Fahrenheit outside or more, it may take a heat pump several hours to bring the indoor ambient temperature down to a comfortable 70 degrees. The ideal heat pump effective operating temperature for cooling is 20 degrees lower than the outdoor temperature.

​In the winter, a heat pump provides heating by extracting heat from outside a building and moving it inside. In the summer, it can provide cooling by moving heat from indoors to the outside. Find out about the different types of heat pumps, how they work and why they could help to tackle climate change.

During the summer, the two systems will be comparable to operate, but during winter the heat pump will still be working while the air conditioner is shut down. This means that air conditioners will have a longer lifespan due to not being in use year-round.

When heat pumps operate for extended periods during hot weather, the coolant levels can drop, resulting in a loss of cooling capacity. This can happen if the system is low on refrigerant or because an undersized system won't keep up with the demand.