In Colorado, you are living with hot temperatures in the summer and cold temperatures in the winter. Since there is such a variation in the temperatures that you are going to experience, it is important that you can heat your home effectively in the winter and cool it effectively in the summer. At first glance, the heating and cooling systems that are used to keep your home at a reasonable temperature throughout the year seem complicated. However, they can be easily explained by a professional.
Heating Systems
The first part of a heating and cooling system is the furnace. Furnaces are the most common type of heating system in homes. The furnace works by blowing heated air through ducts that bring the warm air to the rooms throughout the house. This type of heating system is called a forced air heating system and is powered by electricity, natural gas, or fuel, and is controlled by a thermostat.
A heat pump is another option in a heating and cooling system that uses an electrical system to either move heat from the outdoors into your home in the wintertime or from inside your home to the outdoors in the summertime.
Cooling Systems
Air conditioning is a more complicated system than heating is. Instead of relying on energy to create heat, air conditioning units use energy to take heat away. In most homes, the air conditioner uses a compressor cycle to transfer the heat in your home to the outdoors.
Central air conditioners are designed to cool the entire home, using a large compressor that is located outside the home to drive the process. The central air conditioner uses the same duct system as the forced air heating and uses the furnace fan to push the air through the ducts.
