Heat Pumps and Indoor Air Quality

One of the most basic facts of the world we live in today is that we spend an ever-increasing amount of time indoors. Whether we rest motionless in front of our televisions and computers or stay active while avoiding the vicissitudes of the weather outside, the quality of our indoor air is increasingly important. Installing a heat pump is one way to go about improving that air.

The best and most efficient central heating or forced air heating and cooling system will keep a house warm in the winter and cool in the summer, insuring the comfort of its inhabitants. A unit that is well-maintained by the homeowner and kept in good repair by qualified heating contractors operates at peak efficiency and provides the best cost-to-benefit ratio in energy consumption for its brand and model. It will also blow dust into the house.

Heat pumps work by transferring the heat in the air. Depending on the season, this transfer will deposit warmth inside or outside to maintain the desired internal temperature. An even more efficient and environmentally friendly version is sourced in the ground and pulls heat to or from the ground depending on need. This is a more complicated and expensive version, but in the long run does pay for itself.

Heat pumps can be installed ductlessly, and some can also be equipped with gas furnace back-up to provide increased heat in colder climes. In areas like Atlanta where the cold is rarely too intense, heat pumps are ideal. Depending on the version, the pump can heat water for the home or be set up to work with radiant heat systems that supply heat or cold to the floor and/or wall panels, from which it radiates into the room.

The impact all of the above mentioned ways of heating and cooling a home is important to air quality in two ways. The first is the most obvious and one of the big selling points-that of a reduced carbon footprint. By reducing the negative environmental influence, the air quality outside is improved, which means fewer pollutants to be kept out of the house.

The second way is what was mentioned at the outset of this piece, which is that with the transfer of energy in the air, and especially with a radiant heat-system, there is a reduction of dust inside the home. This has the side advantage of reducing the amount of cleaning one has to do on any given day and eliminates some of the basic maintenance required for a standard furnace.

This is not to say there is no air movement with a heat pump, but the heat transfer reduces that process. So does the lack of a cold-cycle as it exists in many standard furnaces, which also acts to blow dust through the house.

With pollen counts and other allergens seemingly more aggressive in their attacks on people's sinuses every year, the air itself has become increasingly hazardous to breathe. Finding a reputable and licensed heating and air conditioning contractor to install a system that is more energy efficient and produces a reduced degree of dust is of benefit to everyone.