How Ducted Heat Pumps Work
Ducted heat pumps use electricity to distribute heat evenly throughout your ductwork. Instead of burning fossil fuel like a furnace, a ducted heat pump captures the ambient heat from outdoor air and moves it into your home. Conversely, in cooling mode, the heat pump’s reversing valve allows it to extract heat from indoor air, transferring it to the outdoor environment.
In heating mode, the outdoor unit absorbs heat from the surrounding air, even when it’s cold, using a refrigerant. The compressor in the outdoor unit then raises the temperature of the refrigerant, turning it into a high-temperature, high-pressure gas. This heated refrigerant is then circulated to the indoor unit, where an air handler passes indoor air over a coil containing the hot refrigerant. As a result, the heat from the refrigerant is transferred to the indoor air, which is then distributed throughout the building via a network of ducts.
During the summer, the process reverses and removes the heat from your home, providing air conditioning. In cooling mode, the heat pump’s reversing valve allows it to extract heat from indoor air, transferring it to the outdoor environment. The thermostat regulates the temperature by controlling the heat pump’s operation. Ducted heat pumps are valued for their energy efficiency, as they move existing heat rather than generating it, making them an environmentally friendly and cost-effective HVAC solution. Regular maintenance and proper installation are crucial to ensuring the system’s optimal performance and efficiency.
No matter what the weather is like outside, you can rely on a ducted heat pump system to effectively heat, cool and clean the air in your home. With innovations that go beyond industry standard, Trane has provided families everywhere with comfortable, clean and healthy air for generations.