How Do Heat Pumps Use Cold Air for Heating?

Air-source heat pumps use cold winter air to comfortably heat homes. How is that possible?

How do air-source heat pumps use cold air to heat your home? As long as there's some heat in the air, heat pumps will do their job.

Remember back in ninth grade when you learned that absolute zero meant the absence of all heat? Absolute zero is 0° Kelvin, or -459°F. That means that even when it is 20°F outside, there's heat in the air. Heat pumps can pull that heat out and use it to efficiently heat your home.

Heat pumps have gotten a bad reputation in the past for not working well at lower temperatures. The colder it is, the longer the compressor has to work to capture enough heat to heat a home. While heat pump technology has improved over the past 10 years, it's important to not overlook the second factor in the heating equation. Under-insulated and poorly sealed homes are going to make any heating system work harder to maintain a comfortable temperature.

With better technology and a properly insulated home, today's heat pumps can deliver enough heat to maintain comfort in some of the country's coldest climates with little to no supplemental heating.