❄️ How Do Heat Pumps Perform in Extreme Cold? Insights and Tips

With energy-efficiency and carbon-footprints becoming the new orthodoxy, heat pumps have become the technology of choice for low-carbon heating. Perhaps the most persistent misconception surrounding this technology is that it is not suited to very cold climates. As heat pump technology has improved in recent years and as research into their capabilities progresses, it is becoming increasingly clear that it is no longer the case that conventional heat pumps cannot work in very cold areas.

How do heat pumps function?

Heat pumps take heat from the outdoors (from an ambient node such as air, ground or water) and relocate it indoors. In a cooling setting, the process is reversed by taking heat from the interior and transferring it to the outdoors. Operation depends on ambient temperature, and on the capacity of the refrigerant used in the heat pump to absorb heat and transfer it to a useful storage source. As a result, the efficacy of heat pump performance at low temperatures has been questioned since it’s when the heat sources are least concentrated.

Evolution of heat pump technology

The new generation of heat pumps is equipped with more advanced technologies that further improve their efficiency in cold weather. The variable-speed compressors enable heat pumps to run at slower speeds when the heating demand is low, and faster when the higher heating demand is required. In addition, newer refrigerants with lower boiling points allow heat pumps to take out more heat from the outside air when the outdoor air temperature is lower. Mitsubishi Electric engineers say that some of their units are useful at –13 degrees Fahrenheit and lower. CCHPs customised to such cold environments have now been designed to excel where older models would sputter.

Performance in Extreme Conditions

Popular Science and the studies cited on cold-climate heat-pump efficiency show that the performance of heat pumps in cold conditions is good. The studies also show that the efficiency of heat pumps is sufficient, and that performance remains at a decent level even at extreme low temperatures. In short, the efficiency of a heat pump could very well decrease when the ambient temperature decreases, but heat pumps do not stop working entirely. And most heat pumps are hybrids that connect to a more conventional heating system, often a gas furnace, to back up the heat pump on those days when the heat pump can’t operate efficiently enough on its own.

Economic and Environmental Advantages

• Establishing heat pumps in cold places has many economic and environmental advantages. In the past, heat pumps typically led to lower overall utility cost for heating than oil or electric resistance heaters.
• Additionally, heat pumps do not directly burn fossil fuels like oil or gas. Instead, they use electricity. Because electricity does not emit greenhouse gases, heat pumps help to reduce the effects of climate change, which is caused by harmful greenhouse gases emissions.

Conclusion Innovation has demonstrated that heat pumps will work as well for cold climates as for mild ones, and this benefit will now be available to home- and business-owners in cold climates who are considering a heat pump for their home or business or whose existing heat pump needs service. If they go with the right system – one designed for the cold climate – and service by professionals who understand how to leverage modern technology to derive the most benefit. Consumers who make this choice will enjoy sustained comfort and cost‑effectiveness, while helping to promote a greener world. And innovation will continue to play a role in encouraging the adoption of green technologies.