What is the difference between an Air Conditioner and a Heat Pump?

A Heat Pump is an Air Conditioner that can also run in reverse. All Heat Pumps can also provide air conditioning, though Air Conditioners alone are not Heat Pumps.

An air conditioner and a heat pump are very similar pieces of equipment; they even look the same from the outside, but there is a critical difference. A heat pump serves two functions: you can use it like an air conditioner to cool in the summer, and you can heat your house with it in the winter. It’s easiest to think of a heat pump as simply an air conditioner running in reverse. In the winter, it delivers warm inside and cold air outside; the opposite of an air conditioner. I have a gas or oil furnace with an air conditioner, and my air conditioner needs to be replaced. Someone said I should install a heat pump instead. I already have gas or oil heat, so why should I add a heat pump? With energy prices as unstable as they are, adding a heat pump gives you versatility when it comes to energy choice. The price of natural gas has moved around so much (mostly upward) that you can save money and energy by using a heat pump for heat. Yet, you still have the option of using “fossil fuels” ...  more

Air conditioners work by transferring heat from inside your home to outside, effectively lowering the indoor temperature. Heat pumps work exactly the same way in the summer, but in the winter they can reverse the temperature exchange, providing one of the most efficient forms of heat available.  more