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Climate control that runs hot and cold
Also known as a reverse (or split) cycle air conditioner, this is an extremely cost-efficient system that blows warm or cool air into a room to give you the desired temperature. When it is in the cooling mode it works in exactly the same way as a traditional air conditioner.
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How a traditional cooling air conditioner works
 If you were to stand next to the air conditioner's outside unit when it is cooling you would notice that it is pumping out warm air. This is because it works by extracting warm air from the building it is cooling. What makes a Heat Pump such a clever invention is that it has a valve that you can switch to reverse this process in order to warm your home during winter. So what it is doing is extracting heat from the outside air using a substance called 'refrigerant'. The amazing property of the refrigerant is that even when the air outside is only -17°C, it still contains 90% of the heat it contained at 20°C. How's that for efficiency?
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Recent improvements
 Since it first came onto the market, the Heat Pump has undergone a couple of major improvements. One of the major complaints about the system was that both the indoor and outdoor components of the unit tended to be rather noisy. This has changed dramatically over the past few years with a lot of investment into the development of much quieter systems.
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Gentle on the power bill
Another area of improvement had been its level of efficiency with the transition from the conventional Heat Pump, which was the most efficient system of its time, to the extra-economical inverter models of today. The inverter Heat Pump has now all but superseded its conventional cousin.
The inverter maintains a set temperature by gently accelerating or decelerating rather than using the less energy-efficient stop/start method of other forms of convection heating. This means that the temperature will be more stable. Another characteristic of this form of heating is that as the temperature output drops, the intensity of the fan also decreases, which results in a less draughty source of heat.
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Instant heat
Another attractive feature is a “high powered” start that means your desired room temperature is reached almost instantly.
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Pros & cons
Pros
- Extremely efficient running costs (up to 300% efficient).
- Instant heat on demand.
- Totally safe, with no exposed or hot surfaces.
- Programmable thermostat/timer options.
- Air filters.
- Heating and cooling options (Hydroheat).
Cons
- Higher installation costs than most.
- External fan noise (mainly only a problem with the earlier models).
- Can be draughty if not installed correctly. Contact Aurora Preferred Suppliers.
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