The primary difference between the diverse kinds of forced air systems is the kind of equipment that gets the air heated.
Add heat pump to forced air system.
It is a heating system that carries heated air throughout your house.
When the temperature drops below freezing there s not enough heat in the air to sufficiently heat the home with the pump alone so the backup electric or gas furnace kicks in to provide warmth.
Adding a heat pump to your electric furnace assures you hot air in the cold winters and refreshing cold air in the hot season.
For heat the equipment simply reverses operation.
For example you may have an electric furnace a gas furnace or a heat pump.
All these types of systems could heat the air and when they are paired with a fan or a blower they can spread heated air all through your house.
Forced air systems use a furnace or heat pump to heat the air and then disperse it through the house via ductwork and in room vents.
Homeadvisor s complete heat pump or forced air furnace guide defines the differences between electric and gas heat pumps and gas electric propane and oil furnaces.
More on heat pumps below.
The heat is generated by whatever type of furnace you have in your home gas propane oil heat pump or another heating source.
The heat pump advantage.
A heat pump is normally composed by 2 units one that acts as furnace on the inside and another unit on the outside that acts like a conditioner.
An add on heat pump system combines the best features of two types of equipment.
Forced air furnaces are one of the most common types of home heating systems in the united states.
Furnace heat pump.
A heat pump condenses heat present in the outside air usually down to about 30 degrees fahrenheit depending on the region and the amount of moisture in the air and pumps it into the home.
If you do not have ductwork installed in your home the added expense to install ductwork may make traditional heat pump systems cost prohibitive.
For homes located in milder climates but where they might want some heat every so often the heat pump split system is a good choice.
Compare costs efficiency installation operating costs and more for electric heat pumps vs gas heating to determine which hvac system is best for your home.
If you switch to an air source or geothermal heat pump from a conventional forced air heating and cooling system you will likely be able to reuse your home s existing ductwork if it is in good shape.
Heat pump systems can heat and cool a home for as little as one.
The add on heat pump works automatically with the forced air furnace to provide continuous temperature control.
The existing forced air furnace provides booster heat during extremely cold winter weather.
Once the temperature is set at the thermostat cold air from the home is pulled into the system where it passes through the air filter removing allergens like pollen and dust.