All about heat pumps

A conventional heating unit generates heat using gas and moves it into the house through the duct system to heat your home.

Heat pumps, on the other hand, simply move heat from one area into another. This makes them very efficient to heat and cool your home.

During the winter, heat pumps move the air from the outside, compresses it to increase the temperature of the air and then pushes this hot air into your home.

And in the summer, they move the heat from your home to the outside.

Because a heat pump simply moves the heat around, the same unit can be used to heat and cool a place.

You could either buy a low-end equipment that will cost to more to operate in the short run or go with a high-efficiency unit that has a low cost to operate.

If you do not have solar, then you will be using electricity to heat the home. This will certainly add to your existing electric bills. If you have solar panels, you can offset the cost of electricity to heat your home.

Heat pumps take 220v to the outdoor unit. Depending on your indoor unit (fan coil), they might need 200v also. This might necessitate you to upgrade your electrical panel.

When installing any kind of equipment, remember to pay attention to the duct work. If the duct work has leaks, then all the money you have spent on the heat pump is wasted and it will be heating the attic or some other place other than your home.

Heat pumps help with CO emissions and are clean especially when connected with solar panels.

If you don’t have a duct system installed in your home, you can get a mini-split heat pump. This is particularly useful when you want to control the temperature of each room separately.

Give us a call to find out if heat pump is the right solution for you.

How do I cool my second floor?

Keeping your second floor can be a real challenge in the dead of summer.

Since hot air rises, the upstairs can get up to 10 degrees hotter than the downstairs. During these times, it can be a challenge to keep the upstairs cool.

Another factor is the roof. In the summer, the roof gets the full brunt of the sun and it absorbs a lot of heat. This heats up the air in the attic which in turn heats up the upstairs.

Here are a few ways that you can manage to keep the second floor in your house comfortable.

Redirect cool air from the AC to upstairs

You can redirect more air from the AC upstairs by partially closing the vents downstairs. This will enable the cooler air to be blown upstairs. Be careful that you don’t close all the registers. This could affect the performance of the system. Talk to your HVAC specialist about balancing the system.

Install different zones in your house

With different zones in your house, you can control the temperature of each zone independent of the others. For example, you can set the thermostat to 68 downstairs and 72 upstairs.

Use window coverings to block the sun

If any of the windows get direct sun, especially in the afternoon, you should install drapes or shades. This can significantly reduce the temperature in a room.

Reduce your use of appliances upstairs

This is difficult if your kitchen is upstairs. Burners add a lot of heat to the surrounding area. On hot days, you could plan to eat out or make salads that don’t require the use of burners.

Install fans in the attic

Attic air can get to 130 degrees on a hot day! This would replace the hot air in the attic with cool air. (Rewrite this.)

Install ceiling fans

Ceiling fans are an easy and inexpensive way to keep the air moving and cooling a room.

Insulate your attic

When the midday sun hits the roof on a hot day, the attic heats up and this transfers the heat to the room right under it. By adding insulation in your attic you minimize the heat that is transferred to the living space.

You can install a vapor barrier on the bottom of the roof rafters. This slow the radiant heat from the roof into the attic which will keep your attic cool. Consequently your house will stay cooler.

Turn off any gadgets that generate heat.

Computers and other such electronic gadgets produce a lot of heat. Using these upstairs can also add to the temperature. Keep the electronic items turned off during the day or minimize their use upstairs.

Turn off lights. You’d be surprised how much heat they can create!

When the summer gets here, remember to drink cool drinks and keep hydrated!