A Guide to Year-Round Comfort in London with a Heat Pump

Here in Canada, we’re no strangers to extreme weather. For homeowners in London, keeping our homes comfortable through sweltering summer days and bone-chilling winter nights is a top priority. While you’ve likely heard about furnaces and air conditioners, what if there was a single, highly efficient system that could both heat and cool your home?

Enter the heat pump. It is a proven and reliable technology that is becoming increasingly popular for homeowners across Canada. This guide will explain how this all-in-one comfort solution works to keep you comfortable through every season.

The All-in-One Advantage

Think of a heat pump as a heat transporter. It’s a versatile HVAC system that can move heat from one place to another. The best part? Because heat pumps move heat rather than generate it, they are incredibly energy-efficient. This means you can enjoy a comfortable home while also saving money on your energy bills and reducing your carbon footprint. It’s a win-win.

Winter Operation: How a Heat Pump Heats Your Home

During the winter, a heat pump pulls heat from the outside air and moves it inside your home to keep you warm. Even on a cold day, there is still heat energy in the air. The magic behind a heat pump lies in its ability to reverse the flow of refrigerant, a special fluid that absorbs and releases heat.

• The outdoor unit of the heat pump contains a coil and a fan. The fan blows the cold outdoor air over the coil, and the refrigerant inside the coil absorbs this heat.
• The now-gaseous refrigerant is passed through a compressor. The compressor increases the pressure of the refrigerant, which in turn significantly increases its temperature.
• This hot, pressurized refrigerant is then pumped to the indoor unit of your system. As the indoor fan blows air over the indoor coil, the heat from the refrigerant is transferred to the air, which is then circulated throughout your home.
• As the refrigerant loses its heat, it cools down and returns to a liquid state, flowing back to the outdoor unit to repeat the process.

Summer Operation: How a Heat Pump Cools Your Home

To cool your home, the heat pump simply reverses this process. When you switch your heat pump to its cooling mode, it essentially works like a high-efficiency air conditioner. A key component called the reversing valve changes the direction of the refrigerant flow.

• The indoor unit’s coil now acts as the evaporator. The cool refrigerant flows through this coil, and as your indoor air is blown over it, the refrigerant absorbs the heat from the air. This process also naturally dehumidifies the air, leaving your home feeling cool and fresh.
• The now-warm refrigerant is pumped to the outdoor unit.
• The outdoor unit’s coil acts as the condenser. The fan in the outdoor unit blows air over the coil, and the heat from the refrigerant is released into the outdoor air.
• As the refrigerant releases its heat, it cools down and is ready to flow back to the indoor unit to absorb more heat from your home.

Built for a Canadian Winter

A common question we get is whether heat pumps work in Canada, and the answer is a resounding yes. There’s a common misconception that heat pumps are only suitable for milder climates. While that may have been true of older models, today’s cold-climate heat pumps are specifically designed to handle the rigors of a Canadian winter. These advanced systems can operate efficiently in temperatures as low as -30°C.

For those few days a year when the temperature dips into extreme lows, many homeowners opt for a dual-fuel system. This pairs a heat pump with a high-efficiency furnace. The heat pump will handle the vast majority of your heating and cooling needs, and the furnace will automatically kick in as a supplementary heat source only when it’s absolutely needed. This ensures you stay warm and comfortable, no matter what Mother Nature throws our way.

If you’re looking for a versatile, energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly way to keep your home comfortable all year long, a heat pump is an excellent choice. At M&K Heating & Air Conditioning, we’re experts in heat pump installation and service. Our friendly and knowledgeable team can help you determine the right size and type of heat pump for your home and answer any other questions you may have.

Contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation.