As you know,heat pumps have been around for a long time in the comfort business.When you talk about heat pumps,historically there have been three categories: 1.Air-to-Air heat pumps; 2.Water-to-Air heat pumps; 3.Water-to-Water heat pumps. In general,heat pumps are devices that can convert low temperature heat into higher temperature heat.The low temperature medium is referred to as the”source.”This is where the energy comes from to heat the building.The”source”can be the outdoor air or water from lakes,ponds or,most commonly,tubing buried in the ground.This is where the”free”heat comes from-the renewable energy source.The converted”higher temperature”energy is then released into the sink-the place that can absorb this energy-like an air handler unit that is moving cooler return air across a coil(the heat exchanger)and delivering the warmer air into the living space. Most are familiar with the Air-to-Air heat pumps.They extract heat from outside air and have become fairly common throughout the U.S.They deliver the high temperature heat through a forced air network of duct throughout a home.This type of heat pump is classified as an Air-Source heat pump. There are other heat pumps that extract heat by using water that is circulated through tubing which is buried in the ground.The earth heats the water circulating through a”field”of tubing and this heat is then converted by the heat pump into a higher temperature medium.If it is air,they are known as Water-to-Air heat pumps,and if the high temperature medium is water,then they are referred to as Water-to-Water heat pumps.
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