Northstar Heating & Cooling Services

A heat pump is not a new idea. Using
proven refrigeration technology, usable
heat is captured by a stand alone unit
placed just outside the home and sent into
the furnace to heat your home. Millions of
heat pumps have been used in motels,
offices, stores, schools and homes in the
past 30 years.

The outdoor unit (or "outdoor coil") is
basically a giant heat sync or radiator. It is
composed mostly of thousands of tiny
aluminum "fins" like the fins in an electric
baseboard heater. The fins collect heat
from the air outside. Running through the
coil is tubing filled with refrigerant. The
refrigerant is very cold so when it runs
through the fins it is able to absorb the
heat and boil. The heated refrigerant is
moved to the coil on the inside of the
house where the furnace or air handler is
used to blow the heat throughout the
ductwork.

The technology has matured such that the
current units are cost effective and reliable
as long as they are sized correctly and
installed properly. Heat pumps are now
quiet, attractive and small; it's easy to find
a spot outside next to the house for their
20 year life span.