Central Heating Central Cooling Heat Pumps Humidifiers
Central Heating
What it is
Central heating systems have a primary heating appliance, such as a furnace, typically located in your basement or garage. All furnaces consist of four main components: 1) burners that deliver and burn fuel, 2) heat exchangers, 3) a blower and 4) a flue that acts as an exhaust for gaseous by-products.
How it works
Combustion gases are generated by the burners in your furnace and passed over a heat exchanger. Air from your home blows across the heat exchanger to be warmed. It is then blown through a system of ducts to distribute around your home.
During warm seasons your heating system works with your central air conditioning. Air is cooled as it’s blown over your air conditioning unit’s cooling coil attached to the exhaust of the furnace, and then sent over the same air ducts throughout your home.
Our knowledgeble sales staff can help you decide which heating and cooling system is right for you. Trane matched systems can be customized with cooling and heating units that match your situation and let you choose from a range of energy efficiency.
Central Cooling
What it is
The most common central cooling system is a split system, which includes an outdoor cabinet containing a condenser coil and compressor, and an indoor evaporator coil, usually installed in conjunction with your furnace or air handler. The compressor pumps a chemical called refrigerant through the system.
How it works
Once warm air inside your home blows across the indoor evaporator coil, its heat energy transfers to the refrigerant inside the coil. That transfer, in turn, “cools” the air. The refrigerant is pumped back to the compressor where the cycle begins again. The heat absorbed by the refrigerant is moved outside your home while cooled air is blown inside. Moisture that contributes to humidity is also condensed out of the air.
Your cooling system is usually combined with your central heating system because they share the same ductwork for distributing conditioned air throughout your home.
Heat Pumps
What it is
A heat pump is an all-in-one heating and cooling system. It heats a home in winter and then cools it in summer. A typical heat pump installation consists of two parts: an indoor unit which may be an air handler or typical furnace and an outdoor unit similar to a central air conditioner. A compressor circulates refrigerant that absorbs and releases heat as it travels between the indoor and outdoor units.
How it works
What kind of magic does a heat pump perform to both heat and cool your air? Think of a heat pump as a heat juggler. Even in air that’s below freezing temperatures, heat energy is present. When it’s cold outside a heat pump extracts this outside heat and transfers it inside. When it’s warm outside, it reverses directions and acts like an air conditioner, removing heat from your home.
One advantage of a heat pump is that it moves heat instead of generating heat, giving you more energy efficiency. Also, it is powered by electricity, so you can save substantially on fuel consumption. Heat pumps used in heating mode can keep homes warm even when temperatures drop into the low 20s. A supplemental heating such as a typical gas furnace is needed for lower temperatures.
In North Dakota during the shoulder months of September to November and March to May, a heat pump can provide quality heat an efficiencies up to 300%. That means for every dollar you spend on supplying energy to the unit, you are getting three dollars of heat.
As a year-round solution for home comfort, Trane heat pumps can become a key part of your matched system. As an independent Trane dealer, we can help you decide if a heat pump system is right for you.