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> Have you ever tried contacting an HVAC company and asking them to convert your AC to a heat pump so that you can use it to heat your house in the winter? Of
by kelnos 2y ago
> Have you ever tried contacting an HVAC company and asking them to convert your AC to a heat pump so that you can use it to heat your house in the winter?
Of course not, that's like asking your car mechanic to convert your ICE car to an EV.
While the principle of operation in a heat pump and AC unit is exactly the same, an AC-only unit is missing hardware to be able to be used to provide heat, and it's not just a matter of replacing a part or adding an optional feature. It would require major surgery.
- namibj 2y agoIt's basically two 3-way valves to flip which coil has high pressure and which coil has low pressure. If you get freezing temperatures, you may also need to do something to manage the icing that would happen outside, which may be via a suitable sensor to detect that state and running it in reverse for a calculated duration or such to melt the ice off. It's really not much that needs to change. Efficiency may not be too good in heating mode, though, but in spring and fall it should work much better than a furnace.
- xattt 2y agoIs there not a difference of capacity? It takes more energy to bring a house up to 20°C in -15°C weather in a reasonable amount of time than it does to bring down the indoor temp of 20° from an outdoor temp of 35°C.