Difference Between Heat Pump And Air Conditioning Unit

An air conditioner is typically paired with a furnace to provide heat during the cold months.

Difference between heat pump and air conditioning unit.

The only real difference is that a heat pump can reverse itself so it can provide heating when needed. When choosing between a heat pump vs ac units it s good to know about the positives of air conditioning. So basically it s an air conditioner that can reverse itself. A heat pump s outdoor unit is also more expensive to install upfront than the outdoor unit of an ac system.

Central air conditioning units are the best way to keep your house at a consistently cool temperature. Heat pumps use the condenser to generate heat while in an air conditioner it is used to expel heat. Heat pumps use a reverse refrigeration cycle while air conditioners use the regular vapor compression cycle. Together an air conditioner and furnace are a complete heating and cooling system.

Heat pumps primarily heat rooms while air conditioners cool rooms. In many ways heat pumps are functionally the same as conventional air conditioners. The difference is in the valve. Although there are some differences air conditioners were the technology that heat pumps were built from this is why the differences are so subtle.

The performance of the heat pump and air conditioner will only be identical if all of the efficiency aspects are identical as well. Think of air conditioners as heat pumps that can only pump heat in one direction from the inside to the outside. A heat pump can heat and cool but an air conditioner cannot which is the primary difference between the two hvac systems. When it comes to air sourced heat pumps the most common found in residential use the easiest way to think of them is as souped up air conditioners.