At What Temperature Do Heat Pumps Become Ineffective?

Heat pumps are used for heating and cooling in homes throughout the Atlanta area. In our Southern climate, these HVAC systems typically offer energy-efficient comfort throughout the year. However, when temperatures drop too low, you may notice your heat pump struggles. In our most recent blog, Estes Services explains at what temperature do heat pumps become ineffective. For more information on heat pumps, contact us today.

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit our website.

Heating with a Heat Pump

An air source heat pump heats your home by pulling heat from the air outside and transferring that heat into the air circulating throughout your home. Even though it may feel crisp outdoors, there is often ample heat to be found to provide sufficient heating inside your home. 

Atlanta winters are mostly mild, which allows heat pumps to operate efficiently in most cases. However, there comes a point when outdoor temperatures drop too low for optimal operation. Heat pumps do not operate as efficiently when temperatures drop to between 25 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit for most systems.

A heat pump works best when the temperature is above 40. Once outdoor temperatures drop to 40 degrees, heat pumps start losing efficiency, and they consume more energy to do their jobs. When temperatures fall to 25 to 30 degrees, a heat pump loses its spot as the most efficient heating option for an Atlanta home.

Even at 25 degrees, your heat pump will still run. The issue at this temperature is that they system will require more energy as it runs because there isn't enough heat energy in the outdoor air for the heat pump to use in heating your interiors.

How to Heat When Temperatures Are Low

When heat pumps quit working efficiently, many Atlanta homeowners turn to their backup heating systems for warmth. A backup heating system is another type of heating system that is installed to be used during periods where heat pumps do not offer optimal energy efficiency. 

Investing in a backup heating system is a smart idea for Atlanta homeowners who don't want to risk high electricity bills due to heat pumps that struggle amidst the cold. There are a few different system options available, including:

• Electric resistance heating can be added to your home through the installation of heat strips within your HVAC system. The heat strips take over heating once heat pumps stop performing efficiently in cold weather. They aren't the most energy-efficient option, but they are more efficient than heat pumps at low temperatures. If you don't have access to natural gas energy at your home, this may be the right backup heating option for you.
• Gas furnaces offer efficient heating during cold periods where heat pumps struggle. If your home has natural gas connections, a gas furnace is likely your most efficient backup heating choice. Gas furnaces do cost more to purchase and install compared to heat strips, but the heating they provide is more efficient and reliable.

Use Backup Heating Wisely

Backup heating systems are an excellent solution when Atlanta temperatures dip toward freezing and heat pumps become less efficient. The key is, they should only be used when temperatures are below 25 to 30 degrees. Running the backup heating system once temperatures are warmer will increase your heating costs.

Your HVAC system should be configured to automatically turn on the backup heating system when it reaches a certain temperature. It should also switch the backup heating system off once temperatures climb above that range, allowing the heat pump to run once more. It is possible to manually switch between systems, but you run the risk of leaving the backup heat on longer than necessary and driving up your heating bills.

Reliable Heating, No Matter What!

Estes Services wants to help you avoid poor heating when outdoor conditions reach temperatures that are cold enough to decrease heat pump efficiency. Contact us to learn more about installation of backup heating options to provide your household with reliable heating, no matter how cold it is outside!

In recent years the ability of heat pumps to deliver process heat as become more of interest for several industries under the aspect of energy efficiency, utilization of excess heat and reduction of climate gas emissions related to generated of process heat. High temperature heat pumps, or industrial heat pumps, can be defines as heat pumps being able to deliver heat.Current heat pump solutions are mostly limited to heat supply of around 70°C to 80°C, while industry process are quite often designed for heat supply temperature of around 100°C to 200°C. 

High temperature heat pumps can be used for everything from hot water production to upgrading waste energy to be used in other processes. One of the main challenges of high temperature heat pumps is the integrability into  the production process industry and to match the available heat source to the required heat demand. 

Forlssman supply professional and honest service.

Supply of process heat by heat pumps

Steam producing heat pumps Mechanical Vapor Recompression (MVR)

High temperature heat pumps can be used to produce high pressure steam, which is the preferred choice as heat carrier in the industry. Industrial steam is used in everything from drying of food, textiles and paper, sterilizing of milk and equipment, and as heat carrier in most industrial processes. Steam produced from heat pumps is eco-friendlier compared to steam from conventional boilers due to higher energy efficiency, often 50% less energy per kilo steam is required. Natural refrigerants such as steam and butane are suitable in high temperature heat pumps.

Mechanical Vapor Recompression does not generate steam as regular high temperature heat pumps but recompress steam from processes such as drying or evaporation (concentration). In steam drying, wet products enter the drying chamber, together with hot steam. The high temperature steam warms up and evaporates the water within the product. The cooled steam exits the dryer, while a smaller excess stream is compressed to a higher pressure. Now, the high-pressure steam is condensed in a heat exchanger, and the rest of the steam is warmed up and can be used again as drying agent. Implementing MVR in dryers and evaporators often reduce the energy requirement by over 50%.

We work within these areas:

• System integration and evaluation of different of solutions 
• Development of compressors and design of heat exchangers 
• Energy efficiency by implementing high temperature heat pumps
• Combined heating and cooling
• Turbo compressors 
• Steam producing heat pumps 

Typical projects for us are:

• Mapping of energy reducing solutions in different processes
• Simulation, dimensioning, planning and implementation of different solutions 
• Develop new solutions within high temperature heat pumps/MVR

The methods we use are:

• Testing of components and systems in SINTEF Energy lab(LINK) and SINTEF HigheffLab (LINK)
• Determination of key point indicators in the solutions
• On-site measurements of important parameters 
• Simulation and modelling 

Why choose SINTEF?

SINTEF is a world leading research institute with expertise within high temperature heat pumps, especially by using natural refrigerants. SINTEF has developed a cascade heat pump which can deliver both heating at cooling and has one of the highest temperature lifts in the world. For steam compression, SINTEF has broad experience from national and international projects in cooperation with both the industry and other research facilities. 

Who are we doing this for? 

Companies who are aiming to reduce their carbon footprint and reduce energy related costs while maintaining HSE and product quality. 

Relevant projects:

HTHP-lab

Facts Heat Pumps

If you want to learn more, please visit our website High Temperature Hot Water Heat Pump China.