Air Source Heat Pumps for Cold Weather

Heat pumps are old technology that have been around for decades and use the same refrigeration cycle found in all Air Conditioners. The advantage of a heat pump is that it generates more energy than it consumes making it a more efficient device for heating and cooling than any type traditional electric resistance element. Besides cost savings, a heat pump has the ability to supply both the heating and cooling loads of a building. This means you don’t need a separate air conditioner and heater to comfort your house or business.

Unlike other heat pumps our Phnix Home Energy Solutions are designed to be used with maximum flexibility, compatible with both ducted and ductless heating systems. The Variable Speed DC compressors allow cold weather heating without sacrificing their performance efficiencies. One system will heat you home, pool, hot tub and domestic hot water even down to -15 C. Built in back up heater gives home owners the confidence they need during any extreme temperature. Our complete solution has the flexibility to seamlessly work with multiple heating zones such as hydronic floor heating, ductless fan coils, ducted air handlers, as wells integrate with pools and hot tubs utilizing titanium heat exchangers.

Unlike split heat pumps which work only with fan systems, our system are unique in that they heat liquid. This hot liquid is then pumped through zones to provide heat when and where needed. The Energy is stored in a tank to be used when needed which means the heat pump does not need to run constantly when a zone need heat. An additional back up electric heating element is used to provide added heat for the short periods of extreme weather conditions.

Our German engineered RESol MX control system can provide up to 16 zones and the PAW pump stations with built in mixing valves are simply the best in the industry proving home owners the confidence needed to.

Our Cold Climate Heat Pump system can also integrate seamlessly with our solar thermal heating solutions to provide even more energy savings. By adding a secondary heat exchange in the systems storage tank we can integrate the two systems giving home owners unprecedented savings.

How it works

What makes the cold weather heat pump different than a standard heat pump?

It is the ability to perform even in -25 C temperatures!

How is this possible?

Air contains energy at any temperature above Zero Degrees Kelvin (-273.15 Degrees C or -459.67 F) this means that there is energy in -30 C air and there is 60 degree more energy in +30 energy. From a percentage stand point we could say there is about 22% more energy in +30 degree air versus -30 degree air compared to absolute 0. Harvesting the energy in this colder air is done the exact same way we harvest heat in any other heat pump such as our geothermal heat pumps, through the refrigeration cycle. Freon is a gas that changes state at -29 C at 1 ATM. We can change the boil rate by adjusting the pressure. In the case of a cold weather heat pump the system is set up such that the energy in -25 C air is enough to cause vaporization of the Freon thus absorb the heat energy from the air and continue on to the compressor as a gas completing the refrigeration cycle.

We offer 2 sizes of residential model heat pumps that are made for cold climates in Canada and US. These air source heat pumps are available in a 2.5 Ton (30,000 BTU) or 4 Ton ( 48,000 BTU) which is large enough to do almost any size residential or small commercial building.

We use Phnix Heat Pumps and Fan Coils. Unlike most other heat pumps these are specially designed for harsh cold Canadian temperatures. Features such as: oversized outdoor evaporator unit for superior heating in extreme cold, DC variable speed compressors for the highest efficiencies, intelligent defrost logic which reduces overall operating cost as the outdoor unit is not requiring constant defrosting. Another key Feature is our cold weather air source heat pumps are Energy Star Certified to guarantee you the best ROI.