Is a Rheem Heat Pump Really More Energy Efficient?

Heat pumps have gained both attention and popularity in recent years, in part because they promise to serve as an all-in-one-solution to HVAC, able to provide both heating and cooling throughout the year.

They promise to be energy efficient, heating and cooling while minimizing carbon footprints and keeping homeowners cool. Heat pump units also tend to have very long lifespans, which also makes them attractive. However, heat pumps are not as effective at heating as furnaces, nor are they as effective at cooling as some dedicated air conditioning units, making a closer evaluation of their operation, strengths and weaknesses necessary.

Scratching your head about the whole HVAC equation and wondering if a Rheem heat pump really is a better alternative to your home’s current system? Here’s a bit more background to help clear that up.

How a Rheem Heat Pump Works

To take the most high-level approach, think of a heat pump as a system that takes heat from one “place,” consolidates it, and moves it to another. Taking this a step further, it is important to note that, unlike alternatives such as a furnace, heat pumps don’t actually burn any fuel to produce heat.

In the summer, when the goal of a heat pump is to cool a home’s interior, it gathers energy from inside the home and then vents it outside. In the winter, when the objective is to heat a home, the heat pump gathers energy from the air (or, depending on the model, the ground), consolidates that energy, and then uses it to heat the inside of a home. The air might be cold, but there is still energy in it, and a heat pump capitalizes on this.

Many heat pumps consist of a condensing unit and an evaporator, and may also possess an air handler to help manage and circulate the air. In the summer, when the heat pump’s job is to provide cooling, the heat pump’s indoor coil absorbs the heat energy from the air inside the home. The air loses energy, cooling it off, and it is circulated back through the home. The refrigerant in the indoor coil, meanwhile, has heated up after absorbing heat from inside the home.

This refrigerant then passes through a compressor and then onto the outdoor coil, where, by the aid of a fan, the heat can be vented into the environment. The now-cooled refrigerant can now pass through an expansion valve back indoors to repeat the process again.

In the winter, the process is reversed. The outdoor coil absorbs heat from outside the home, before passing it into the unit’s indoor coil, where the heat can be released into the air. Then the refrigerant in the lines passes back to the outdoor coil to repeat the process again.

Why Some Residential and Commercial Property Owners Choose Heat Pumps

One of the biggest reasons that homeowners are drawn to heat pumps is because they are supposed to be some of the most energy efficient HVAC systems currently available, but the SEER, or Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio will not tell the entire story. It will also depend on the type of fuel you currently use for heating and cooling.

For example, heat pumps tend to be significantly more economical in their use of electricity in cooling than many other air conditioners. However, they also provide potentially lower running costs than systems which use fossil fuels, like gas or heating oil. Because a heat pump has the potential to be so energy efficient with its use of electricity and uses no oil or gas, it may be able to save the property owner on energy bills and even eliminate the need for other fuels.

In addition, heat pumps are highly valued because they don’t use fossil fuels or release energy through combustion. Because of this, they are considered a more green alternative for heating and cooling, and a practical way to cut back on fossil fuel emissions and to reduce the carbon footprint of a setting.

You’re Not Limited: A Rheem Heat Pump Is Not Your Only Option

However, because heat pumps are not as powerful as some air conditioning systems or as effective at providing heat as most furnaces, it is not uncommon to see heat pump split systems paired with another heating and cooling solution as a part of the system. For example, very hot locations might benefit from a heat pump system that contains an additional air conditioner, whereas a very cold climate might benefit from a heat pump paired with a furnace.

When the weather doesn’t cooperate, you can call on the extra power of the furnace or the dedicated air conditioner, while enjoying the potential energy savings of operating the heat pump throughout the rest of the year.

Still interested in a Rheem heat pump, but have a few questions remaining? Feel free to contact us at 855-473-6484 and our specialists will let you know what HVAC systems - Rheem heat pump or otherwise - will work best for your home or business.