Looking for an Energy Efficient Heating and Cooling System for your home?

When it comes to heating and cooling your home, there are a number of energy-efficient options available. So, which system ranks above the rest? To answer this question, you must first understand what these systems do.

The Basic Concept of Heating and Cooling

A heating and cooling system has a simple job: the transfer of heat. Air conditioning is transferring heat out of the building during hot weather. During the winter months, heat is being produced and transferred throughout your building via the ducts. Either way, interior temperature is altered by the displacement of hot or cold air.

Very few unified systems accomplish both heating and cooling with the same equipment. Though the systems use the same ductwork for pushing air, the methods employed for heating and cooling are usually different. Frequently, a forced air furnace works alongside an air conditioning system.

A Better Alternative

The most common configuration has just been described above. There is, however, a much more efficient option that often cuts operating costs in half. If the shear use of energy were the sole consideration, the thermal heat-pump system would easily win. This employs a coolant to transfer heat either into or out of your building. An electric pump and condensing system are also used, depending on what direction the heat is flowing.

Other systems transfer heat out during the hot months. However, to provide heat during the colder months, most other systems have to generate it somehow. A thermal heat pump uses heat already in the ground.

Energy Efficiency Does Not Mean Everything

Just because a thermal system is technically the most energy-efficient, that does not mean it is the best suited for your needs. Factors like installation cost, cost to maintain and repair, operating cost, size of your building and the local climate all play a role in choosing the best option.

The team at Gilmore Heating, Air, and Plumbing⁣ has been helping residents of the Greater Sacramento area select their systems since 1979.