Air conditioning in combination with a heat pump: why choose this option?

Climate change is triggering increasingly routine heat waves that are causing considerable concern. Maintaining cooler temperatures is a health and safety issue more than ever. An indispensable helper in this adverse situation is undoubtedly air conditioning.

The current market is really rich and this is also true for air conditioners, which gives the customer a lot to choose from. Whether it is a window unit, a central system or another type of equipment. Nowadays, air conditioning is becoming more of a necessity than a luxury. Everyone probably thinks of an air conditioner as a device that cools.

Heat pump?

A heat pump is a very specific device. Its basic feature is that it produces more heat energy than it consumes electricity under specified conditions. It most often consists of an outdoor and an indoor unit, which are connected by pipes. In the pipe, a heat transfer medium flows.

The outdoor unit contains a compressor that compresses the transfer medium and exchanges heat with the environment through other components. Simply put, one part takes the heat and the other transfers it.

The heat pump extracts heat from the medium you choose. This can be ground, water or air. The latter is probably the most popular, because of its simplicity. So it takes heat from these media and in turn transfers heat, most often to the water that is being heated. The smaller the temperature difference at the take-off and give-off point, the more efficient the heat pump. This is why heat pumps are most often connected to low-temperature heating systems.

Air conditioning?

Everyone probably thinks of an air conditioner as a device that cools. Yes, that is its main purpose. An additional function of almost all air conditioners is the possibility to smoke in the transitional period. This feature is a great help, so you can just turn on the main heating a few weeks or months later. It is designed to cool the interior or to warm up when the outside temperature is above about 10°C. Not that the air conditioner isn’t capable of operating at lower temperatures. But it should also be taken into account that air conditioning with a heat pump is mainly suitable for homes or premises where the temperature is lower all year round, in Slovakia these are mainly areas in the north, around the Tatra Mountains and Orava.

Air conditioning is a specific type of heat pump. So it works on exactly the same principle as described above. However, it is tuned to a specific temperature range.

The difference between a heat pump and an air conditioner

A common stereotype is that a heat pump heats and air conditioning cools. In principle, this is true. They differ in the medium they heat. However, since these devices work on the same principle, why not combine the two? The manufacturers of heat pumps and air conditioners have also thought of this possibility.

This is where air conditioning with heat pump comes in. The big advantage is that the heat-treated medium is air. It is relatively easy to heat and cool. You can also find air conditioning with a heat pump with the description air conditioning suitable for long-term heating. The main difference is the outdoor temperature range at which operation is effective.

Advantages of air conditioning

Air conditioners generally require less investment compared to home comfort systems such as heat pumps. While costs will vary depending on model, size, capacity and manufacturer, they are usually an affordable heating and cooling solution. Many modern air conditioners come with specific filters that take care of the home’s indoor air and help clean it of allergens and viruses. A big advantage of air conditioning is the installation itself, which is much easier than installing a heat pump, regardless of whether you are heating or cooling. Generally, you’ll need three things: an outdoor unit, an indoor unit, and a remote control or app.

Advantages of a heat pump

Heat pumps provide a complete package for heating, cooling and hot water needs in the home. They are a flexible solution, but need to be adapted to the needs of your home, both for new construction and for an existing building. It is a significantly longer lasting solution compared to conventional air conditioning, and can provide heating, cooling, hot water whenever and however it is needed. Their technical solutions are designed to withstand even harsher conditions. Heat pumps generally operate with a ratio of 30% electricity and 70% renewable energy, which means that for every kilowatt of electricity consumed, the heat pump generates 3-4 kilowatts of renewable heat from the air, which is approximately a 300-400% improvement in efficiency over a standard fossil fuel system.

Advantages of air conditioning with heat pump

The biggest advantage of heat pump air conditioners is that two to three minutes after they are switched on, they are capable of blowing air at maximum temperature. Their speed far outstrips that of central heating. Air conditioners can provide local heating, so there is no need to keep the whole building warm.

If a multisplit system is installed, you only need to switch on the indoor unit in the room you want to be in. Another advantage is that modern filtration and antibacterial systems are also available in this operating mode, so that in addition to heating, the indoor air can also be cleaned at the same time.

Air conditioning with heat pump is a great choice even for partial renovations of family houses. The installation of such equipment is often more financially advantageous than a complete remodelling of the heating system.

Conclusion

Air conditioning is an efficient heating solution, but it is a single room solution, while a heat pump is designed to cover the heating, hot water and optional cooling requirements of the whole house. Neither system is always better than the other, so neither the positives nor the negatives tip the scales in favour of one or the other. The key difference lies in what attributes you require your temperature system to meet, and which option is thus the best fit for you and your home. If you have any doubts, contact the experts at Slowklim who will be happy to provide the necessary information about heating or cooling systems.