What are heat pumps?
Heat Pumps work similarly to the air conditioning units, but unlike the air conditioners they do not have refrigeration units. Heat pumps are simply transferring air from one place to another, For example in summer they are transferring hot air that is inside of building to outside and in winter they transfer hot air to the building.
What makes them an efficient method of air conditioning?
Cost of energy is increasing dramatically and many architects prefer to use heat pumps instead of air conditioning units. This is due to the fact that heat pumps do not have refrigeration unit, therefore they consume much less energy than air conditioners. Usually, performance of heat pumps is measured in units called COP or coefficient of performance. If we compare this indicator of heat pump and electrical heater than the COP of heat pump would be 75% and the same number for electric heater would be 25%.
Should they be used in humid climates such as Singapore to provide air conditioning?
One of the key characteristics of heat pumps is that they decrease level of humidity. This happens when they are transferring hot air from the interior of the building to the outside and when the hot air is getting cold vapor converts into the condensate. Due to this characteristic they will perfectly fit buildings in such areas as Singapore, where relative humidity is pretty high throughout the year.
Reference
Roger A. Hinrichs, Merlin Kleinbach (2006): Energy, Its Use and the Environment, Fourth Edition, Canada: Thomson Brookes/ Cole (Page:149- 156 )
