Heating your home
Heat pumps are a popular choice for home heating across the country for a reason. They are relatively small and discreet, so they don’t take up a lot of room or look unsightly in your living areas. To create heat, they pull cold air from outside and transfers it indoors. As contradictory as it may sound, there is heat energy in the air outside even on the coldest days, and the pump uses electricity to compress that air before allowing it to expand and extracting the heat from the air as it does. Typically, the outdoor unit of the heat pump is placed in the warmest location possible around your home. This is usually on a north or west facing wall where it catches the most sun, which makes it easier to create warm air inside the house. Indoors, the unit is usually placed up high in a living area, where it can keep you cosy and warm without getting in the way of your furniture.Cooling your home
As soon as summer arrives, we all look forward to days at the beach and pulling on the jandals again. However, summer is increasingly arriving with scorching hot days that can make the home feel like an oven, which can also make it difficult to get a good night’s sleep. If you already have a heat pump that you’ve been using to stay warm over winter, those scorching hot days can be a good time to switch it to its cooling setting to keep you comfortable. Heat pumps cool in a similar way to how they add warmth. They suck in hot air, running it across cold refrigerant coils and absorbing the heat energy, then returning cold air back into the room with a fan. Even if your heat pump is situated ideally to provide heat in winter, it will still function perfectly to provide cool air when the mercury rises a little more than is comfortable.Get your heat pump prepared for summer
One of the most important things to remember with any heat pump is that it requires the occasional service to keep it running smoothly and ensure you get the best output for your energy bills. If you only use it in winter, you can usually have it serviced every two years or so. If you use it in winter and throughout summer, it’s best to have it serviced each year. That said, if you ever notice the pump isn’t working as well as it used to, or is making a strange smell or noise, it’s best to have it serviced as soon as possible. A heat pump service will include:- Cleaning the indoor and outdoor coils
- Cleaning the air filters
- Checking the operation of the controls, reversing value, and louvres
- Repairing any water leaks
- Maintaining refrigerant levels
- Checking electrical connections and running voltages
- Checking temperature levels
- Monitoring any strange noises, smells, or vibrations
