Heat pumps provide highly efficient heating and cooling by transferring heat rather than generating it through combustion. Modern heat pumps achieve 300-500% efficiency (COP 3-5) compared to 80-95% for gas furnaces. Global heat pump sales reached 190 million units in 2022, growing 11% annually.
How It Works
Heat pumps use refrigeration cycles to extract heat from outside air, ground, or water sources and transfer it indoors for heating, or reverse the process for cooling. Variable-speed compressors and advanced refrigerants enable operation in temperatures as low as -25°C. Smart controls optimize performance based on weather and occupancy patterns.
Advantages
High efficiency reduces energy consumption by 50-65% vs gas heating, provides both heating and cooling in one system, reduces carbon emissions especially when powered by clean electricity, improves indoor air quality with no combustion, and offers long equipment life (15-20 years).
Challenges
Higher upfront costs than conventional HVAC systems, performance decreases in extremely cold weather, requires electrical upgrades in some homes, refrigerant leaks can have climate impacts, and limited qualified installers in some regions.