Read this article by Beibei Wang, Lexington HeatSmart’s Liaison to the Chinese Community, by clicking here and translating to english. Although the article was written in Chinese, it is applicable to all Lexington residents. This article was made possible through the Lexington HeatSmart for Chinese Speaker’s Project, which is supported by Grant proceeds from the sponsors of Mass Save, Empower Mass CEC, and a the Grassroots Fund.
Oil and gas heating involves burning fuel at home to generate heat, which is then delivered to each room via hot air or hot water.
Heat pumps work differently: they use electricity to bring outdoor heat into the house. Even when it’s cold outside, there is still usable heat in the air.
Because it doesn’t need to directly “burn” out all the heat with electricity, a heat pump can provide more heat than it consumes. According to ENERGY STAR, the official energy efficiency certification program led by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, air source heat pumps can provide several times the amount of heat they consume indoors; the specific efficiency varies depending on the equipment and operating conditions.
In the summer, it can reverse the process, transferring indoor heat to the outdoors to perform the cooling function of air conditioning. The same system provides heating in winter and cooling in summer.