Sales are growing so quickly that some installers wonder whether heat pumps could even wipe out the demand for new air conditioners in a few years and put a significant dent in the number of natural gas furnaces.

  • CanadianCorhen@lemmy.ca
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    1 year ago

    A heatpump is an AC, definitionally. There is no major difference for a 9000 BTU heat pump and a 9000 BTU AC in terms of capability to cool. They both work through using gas to move heat from the inside to the outside of the building.

    A heat pump can just run in reverse, and move heat form outside the building inside.

    A mini-split is a version of a heat pump where it has its own head and its own radiator, that are split. this is opposed to central AC.

    • kent_eh@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      Most central AC area also split systems. The evaporator is indoors and the compressor/condenser unit sits outside, and are connected by pipes.

      The only difference is that they are ducted to the entire house, where a mini-split generally only cools a single room.

      And yo can get central type units that have a reversing valve which allows them to cool the house in the summer and heat it in the winter. Though those have historically been a lot harder to find. There are more coming on the market in the last few years.