GREEN COLD N' HEAT
HVAC SYSTEMS
What is it? What types are available?
HVAC stands for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. The furnace system essentially takes outdoor air, and utilizes natural gas or oil to heat it. Whereas the air conditioner cools the air with electricity and coolant liquid to reduce the temperature of the air, while sending hot air outside and cold air inside. The thermostat regulates the system. There are many types of HVACs but we'll be looking at the 3 main sorts of systems.
COMBUSTION FURNACE
Combustion furnaces generate heat through a pilot light or electrical ignition that ignites gas or oil fuel.
Burners keep the fuel flaming in a combustion chamber, and the heated air is blown through a network of ducts throughout your home.
Finally, the air cools and is drawn from your home's rooms by an air return and redirected back to the boiler to be heated again. Combustion gases like carbon monoxide, are routed out of homes by a flue pipe and chimney.
HEAT PUMP
There are many types of heat pumps. Air, water or geothermal. Heat pumps don't generate heat: they absorb and transfer it. An air heat pump is the most common type, it can change the flow of refrigerant and either heat or cool a home. Air goes over a coil, transferring heat energy from the air to the liquid refrigerant. That heat energy is circulated in the refrigerant to a condenser coil, where it is released as a fan blows air across the coil. Through this process, heat is pumped from one place to another. This system usually runs on electricity.
HYBRID HEATING SYSTEM
Hybrid heating systems depend on the 2 previously mentioned heating components: a furnace and a heat pump. In Ontario and other ''natural-gas provinces'' (=provinces with low gas costs), these systems respectively source energy from natural gas and electricity. The combustion furnace kicks in when temperatures drop below a certain point (usually below -15 degree), keeping your home warm even in the coldest temperatures. To ensure efficiency, the heat pump works only when temperatures are around -15 and warmer and can also be regulated in parallel to on/off-peak electricity rates to reduce energy use and costs.