Air conditioning, the internal basis is the heat pump. The heat pump system is notoriously efficient, not only the air conditioner is used, even many electric water heaters, clothes dryers are borrowed.

Since the efficiency of the air conditioner is so high, why do so few people use it to heat? This question goes back to the principles of heat pump systems.

Efficiency of Heat Pump Systems

How efficient can a heat pump system be? Look up the China Energy Efficiency Label for any air conditioner▼

Look at the three sets of numbers below, it represents: consume 960W of electricity, can produce 3360W of energy, the efficiency is 350%.

That said, not right ah, this thing does not meet the conservation of energy ah - a device efficiency, how can more than 100% it?

This is where the heat pump system is advanced: our target energy is "heat", but the work is not done on the heat, but on the location. To put it bluntly, the air conditioner does not produce heat directly, but moves it.

The electricity consumed is only used to move heat from one place to another (from outdoor to indoor when heating). The total amount of indoor and outdoor heat does not change, just the location.

We usually use electric heating equipment, in addition to air conditioning, the object of doing work is heat. Therefore no matter which kind of electric heating they are, their efficiency will not exceed 100%. If air conditioners are so energy efficient, why is it so rare to see them used for long term heating (especially in homes)?

Why don't you use air conditioners for heating?

In the company, shopping malls, can also occasionally see the use of air conditioning heating. But in the family, there is almost no one to use air conditioning heating for a long time, and why is that? There are two main reasons:

1. Air conditioners are ineffective and slow in heating, and need to be turned on for a long time to feel warm.

This is because the air conditioner belongs to the heat mover, heating needs to be carried to the outdoor heat indoors. But in winter, there is not much heat outside, so it is naturally more difficult to carry it. So in comparison, air conditioners are more suitable for cooling.

Some air conditioner manufacturers will install "electric auxiliary heat" on the air conditioner to solve this problem. The so-called "electric auxiliary heat" is actually an electric heater installed on the indoor unit. The conversion of electrical energy into heat energy, without the advantages of high efficiency of heat pump systems.

We can look at the following parameters of this air conditioner - the number after the "+" is the electric auxiliary heat system. We see that no losses are taken into account here, so the efficiency is 100% (the heating power and the heating capacity are the same) ▼.

2. The comfort level of air conditioning heating is low, the indoor temperature fluctuates greatly, and the air is relatively dry.

This has to do with the fact that the air conditioner needs to blow air while it is working, and when warm air hits a person, they will feel dry. After turning on the electric auxiliary heat, this wind will be even drier.

How can air conditioning heating improve comfort?

So can an air conditioner improve comfort and efficiency? It can!

First we need to choose a good air conditioner - not all heat pump systems are incapable of getting heat from cold air, as long as the air conditioner's heat pump system is of sufficiently high quality, it is perfectly possible.

So if you buy a good quality air conditioner, or a large air conditioner such as a central air conditioner, you will be able to heat your home without electric heat (these air conditioners do not come with an "electric heat" function either).

Or buy a slightly larger air conditioner, such as the room should buy a 1 HP air conditioner, installed a 1.5 HP air conditioner. You can use the air conditioner without turning on the electric heat.

Secondly, you should control the size of the air volume in the direction of the air conditioner's blowing: when heating, it is recommended to let the air outlet blow towards the ground. This way the warm air will slowly float upwards, allowing the room temperature to be more balanced and still not blowing straight at people.

Minimize the airflow so that you can reduce the speed of air circulation in the room and not feel dry mouth easily (it is better if you can turn on the humidifier at the same time).