Your Cooling and Heating Systems Work Hand in Hand

In most homes in the United States, one connected cooling and heating system controls the indoor temperature. Nearly all year long, some parts of the system are working hard to keep your household comfortable, healthy and energy efficient. So how do these systems with very different functions work together?

While there are alternatives, the forced-air HVAC system remains the most popular cooling and heating option in American homes. In most cases, a combustion furnace or heat pump provides heating, while an air conditioner (or heat pump) provides cooling.

How Do Forced-Air HVAC Systems Work?

Overall, these systems are pretty simple. A powerful fan draws air into the equipment where it’s either cooled or heated. Then, the system circulates the conditioned air through ducts to every room in the house that has open supply vents. At the same time, air is sucked into return vents and ductwork, where it’s drawn back to the cooling or heating equipment to start the process all over again.

How Does Heating Work?

On the heating side, there are significant differences between combustion furnaces and heat pumps. With a combustion furnace, a supply of natural gas (or propane or heating oil) is ignited as it emerges from burners in the combustion chamber. That heats the air, which in turn gets circulated in the home. A heat pump, however, relies on a chemical solution called refrigerant, or coolant, to extract heat energy from the outside air. Then, it routes the heat energy inside where the refrigerant releases it into the air, warming the house. Refrigerant’s ability to condense and evaporate in the same circular process allows it to either release or extract heat energy.

So, What About Cooling?

Cooling, unlike the heating side of the equation, doesn’t have two totally different methods. The heat-exchange/refrigeration process explained above is just reversed so that heat energy is extracted from the inside air and released outside. When heat is taken out of the home, cooling occurs.

As mentioned before, heat pump or AC operation is more involved than this and relies on two different coils — one for evaporation and one for condensation — plus a compressor and other essential parts. If you have a split-system air conditioner or heat pump, the compressor/condenser will be located in the outside unit, while the evaporator coil and air handler will be located inside. (Note that in a heat pump during the heating process, the evaporator and condensing coils switch their names and functions so that condensation happens inside and evaporation happens outside.)

If your system uses a central AC for cooling and a furnace for heating, the furnace blower generally serves as the blower for the AC, as well. As long as the blower is functioning, a broken air conditioner won’t prevent you from getting heat in the winter.

In all of these forced-air systems, a network of air ducts, vents and registers serves both purposes, heating and cooling. Similarly, if you have a whole-house air-cleaning or humidity control system, it typically will work as part of your forced-air HVAC system to maintain indoor air quality.

Don’t Forget the Air Filter!

And finally, in any forced-air heating and cooling system, the air filter performs an essential role. It keeps dust and debris away from sensitive parts of the machine and helps clean the air before it’s delivered throughout the house.

If you allow your home AC or furnace filter to get clogged, it not only prevents these benefits, it also impedes airflow in your system, which results in a number of negative effects. These include poor cooling or heating performance, stress on the blower motor, unbalanced air delivery in rooms and wasted energy.

Make sure you take care of your integrated heating and cooling system with preventative maintenance. You, the homeowner, can do your part by keeping the equipment clean, and checking and replacing the air filter on a regular basis. We also recommend scheduling professional maintenance appointments at least once a year for heating and once a year for cooling.

Need Preventative Maintenance? We’ve Got You Covered.

The experts at Jansen Heating and Cooling are ready to check on your HVAC system and make sure everything is working correctly. If we find something is wrong, we’ll work with you to resolve the issue and get your home feeling comfortable again. And as a Maintenance Club member, you’ll enjoy discounts on labor and parts. With Jansen, preventive maintenance saves you money! Schedule your tune-up today and save 10% when you join our Maintenance Club. Learn more about our services and schedule your preventative maintenance appointments today. Once you’re booked, you can embrace peace of mind and let us worry about your HVAC system for you.