Heat Pumps Explained

When I’m showing homes for sale in the Dayton, OH area there is often some confusion on what a heat pump is and how it works. Heat Pumps are common in the Dayton area and are an alternative when other heating options are not available or are too costly. They are all electric so no need for the additional cost of a tank for propane or oil. They are cheaper to run than the resistance heat you would find with electric baseboard heat. Here’s what confuses buyers, the same unit both heats AND cools the home. You don’t have two separate systems as with a  furnace and a central air unit.  

In the summer the heat pump provides cool central air via the magic of thermodynamics which allows it to extract heat from the interior of the home and transfer it to the outside.  In the winter, a reversing valve allows it to absorb heat from outside and transfer it inside. The amazing part is it can actually extract heat from exterior temps down to around 30 degrees!  

It’s a very efficient system but not without some drawbacks. The system is less well suited to colder northern climates but does well in the Dayton area. When the temps get into the 20’s and below it can’t extract enough heat from outside to warm the house efficiently so it switches over to resistance coil heat. Basically, like a giant hair dryer for the house. It is much more expensive to run in this mode.  

Feel free toreach out with any home buying, selling or inspection based questions!