A heat pump is a heating and cooling system that works efficiently to heat homes.
It does not use fuel to generate heat, but instead transfers heat from the outside air to your compressor and converts hot or cold air using a chemical refrigerant.
The cooling system absorbs heat from the air, while the heating system releases heat into the air.
The cooling system kicks in when the thermostat is lowered and the heating system kicks in when the thermostat is turned to higher temperatures.
To maintain temperature, the standard system must be turned on and off repeatedly. This is very ineffective.
The standard cycle:
In a regular cycle, once the coolant reaches the thermostat temperature, the cycle stops completely. When the ambient temperature changes, the system must be reset to bring the coolant temperature back to the correct ambient temperature.
Every time the unit has to reboot, the system must consume power.
The inverter cycle:
An Inverter heat pump is a more efficient appliance that reduces load and energy requirements.
An inverter heat pump has a variable speed compressor or inverter. With a variable speed compressor, the refrigerant cycle does not have to start or stop.
Instead of starting and stopping, the coolant continuously circulates at different speeds.
While the heating cycle would use a higher flow rate, the cooling cycle requires a lower refrigerant flow rate
The inverter cycle automatically adjusts the coolant flow rate based on the ambient temperature. This eliminates the need to waste energy caused by declaring and stopping.
Pros and cons:
The variable cycles of the inverter heat pump eliminate cold drafts while continuously cycling, adjusting its speed to match the ambient temperature. A normal heat pump would experience cold drafts while waiting for the system to restart when the room temperature changes.
Additionally, some inverter heat pumps are manufactured with noise reduction that would help reduce the malfunction of the compressor and other system components.
You will generally pay more for inverter heat pumps and there may be more maintenance involved, due to their complex operating system.
However, the inverter heat pump is listed as an Energy Star appliance that qualifies for tax credits, depending on the model.
What to look for
Consumers should look for a unit with a variable speed or multi-speed compressor.
Additionally, consumers should be aware that the terms multiple speed and variable speed are also used to describe fan speed.
The speed of the fan has its own advantages that are not related to the speed of the compressor.
If the intention is to purchase a high-efficiency unit that will eliminate cold drafts, it should be noteworthy to ensure that the purchased unit has a multi-speed compressor, not a blower.
