What is HVAC?
What is HVAC?
In most homes, heating is done with a traditional gas furnace. Most use natural gas but they can be converted to use propane as well. Gas furnaces are affordable and can be very efficient. The level of efficiency ranges from 80% to over 98%. This means that between 80% and 98% of the heat created by the furnace burner enters your home rather than being lost along with the exhaust gases.
Heat pumps are another popular means of heating in moderate and warm climates where they are more efficient. They use refrigerant to carry heat from outside into your home where it is released in a coil inside the gas furnace or air handler. A heat pump is a central air conditioner that does double duty by reversing the flow of refrigerant and the flow of heat. See central air conditioners below for more details.
Ventilation
Every home should have ventilation in order to maintain good indoor air quality. Where homes do not have good ventilation, the air within them becomes polluted. It can be contaminated with unhealthy levels of carbon dioxide. This is especially true in today’s tightly-built homes. Many HVAC systems don’t have components designed specifically for ventilation but that is changing. New whole-house ventilators are available that ensure a steady exchange of contaminated indoor air for fresh outside air. These ventilators greatly improve the indoor air quality. Electronic furnace filters and air purifiers are also more common and are effective in removing allergens and contaminates from the air.
Air Conditioning
Central air conditioning effectively removes heat from a home while also lowering the humidity level. Refrigerant picks up heat when it passes through the indoor coil and sheds that heat in the outdoor coil. As heat is removed from the air surrounding the indoor coil, that air is cooled. The system’s blower fan pushes that cool air into the home while drawing warm air into the system to be cooled. Water condenses on the cold coil and is drained out of the houses, reducing the humidity level significantly.
Split Systems and Packaged Systems
Two primary types of HVAC systems are used in homes today. The first is the split system in which the air conditioner or the heat pump is installed outside and the gas furnace or air handler is installed inside. A packaged unit contains both heating and cooling equipment housed in one “package” outside the home.
Summary
What is HVAC? HVAC stands for heating, ventilation and air conditioning and refers to the electronic equipment that keeps your home’s indoor climate comfortable and healthy throughout the year.
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