Heat Pumps | Bellingham Heating & Cooling

How Heat Pumps Work

Heat pumps simply transfer free heat (not air) from one place to another just like your refrigerator does. An evaporator coil extracts warmth from the air inside and transfers it out into your kitchen through the condenser coil in the back. Heat pumps work in the same way. Two coils, one inside your home, and the other outside, are linked to draw warmth from the outside air and transfer it into your home.

That’s a major advantage over electric or gas heaters, since heat pumps have no heating elements to burn energy. Then, at the click of a switch, your heat pump can run in reverse, acting as an air conditioner to pump heat out of your home, reducing humidity and keeping the air fresh and cool in the summer. Energy savings can be 50- 60% of the cost to operate an all electric furnace or older gas furnace.

Here is a brief description of the differences between the Single Stage, Two Stage, and Modulating Variable Speed heat pump options that we offer:

The traditional style option is called a single stage heat pump. It is the standard, basic system operation. Every time the thermostat calls for heating or cooling, the compressor turns on at 100% capacity, and gives you everything it has got to heat or cool the house as quickly as possible. It is always trying to keep up with the demand and is on/off all day.

The next system is called a 2-stage system. This heat pump has 2 fan compressor speeds. When the thermostat calls for heating or cooling, the unit ramps itself up to the first stage, which is about 70% of its capacity. The system runs at that speed, and the outdoor compressor runs at that capacity as well. If the heat pump does not match the thermostat’s call in the first 10 minutes or so, then the unit will ramp itself up to the next stage, which is 100% capacity. This heat pump saves money on your energy bill by running at the lower speed when you only need a little heating or cooling, and not wasting energy by running at 100% capacity all day, every day.

Finally, there is the Platinum Modulating Variable Speed Inverter style heat pump system. This unit is the most efficient, top of the line, quietest heat pump on the market. This unit runs for long periods of time throughout the day, but it runs at really low capacities, saving you the most money on your energy bills! The heat pump ranges itself anywhere from 35% to 100%, in 1% increments. It will never give you more than you need and will keep the temperature in the house nice and even, helping eliminate cold spots and temperature spikes throughout the day. The Single Stage & Two Stage systems can heat down to about 30-35 degrees F (outdoor temperature) before the backup heat has to kick on and help the system keep up whether that is your gas furnace with a dual-fuel system, or the electric strip heat component in an all-electric system. The Variable Speed system can give you 100% heating capacity down to 5 degrees F (outdoor temperature), helping you save energy by not relying on the backup heat nearly as often!

Right now is one of the best times ever to install a heat pump system. With utility rebates, the cost to invest in a energy efficient heat pump is lower than it has ever been.