Degrees - HVAC-R and Refrigeration Latest News
Issue #02
September/October 2008
- Heat Pumps
- Levy up Rebate down
- Have you had your own unit
checked lately? - Getting to know you
- Product Profile - Walraven
- Only in America
- Escaping gas
- Expanding the Network
- Price Changes
Heat Pumps
Reversing the Second Law of Thermodynamics
The second law states that over time differences in temperature, pressure, and density tend to even out. So (in case you hadn’t noticed) if it’s warm inside and cold outside, sooner or later it’s going to be cold inside as well.
Heat pumps reverse this process.
Heat pumps are machines that move heat from one location to another. They harness the energy most commonly in air, then use it in domestic or commercial appliances such as water heaters. To do that, of course, they need energy, but far less than other heating and cooling systems.
Heat pump water heaters, for example, extract heat from the surrounding air in a process that’s 225% more efficient than conventional electric water heaters.
Heat pump technology has been around for years, although they were expensive and cumbersome. Now they are far more practical, and climate change has made them an idea whose time has come. They’re firmly on the agenda. An international heat pump symposium was recently held in Germany, with a follow up event planned for the Chillventa conference in October.
Heat pumps are increasingly seen as a vital tool in reducing emissions in the energy-intensive building sector, which is why governments and industry around the world are promoting the technology in applications as diverse as space heating and water heating as well as passive and active cooling. Heat pumps are finally reaching commercial maturity after a slow start. They’re affordable, reliable, compact and quiet.
But what’s really helped heat pumps appeal to mass markets in a world increasingly concerned about global warming is the fact that they’re cleaner and more efficient.