Balance point

Air Conditioning and Heat Pumps · Heat Pumps in Theory · printed page 227 (PDF page 228)

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Balance Point for Heat Pumps Heat Pump – Balance Point

Text in the illustration

heat escaping from house
70°F
the balance point is the temperature at which the amount of heat that the heat pump can collect from the outside air exactly matches the amount of heat escaping from the house
at this point, the house is at 70°F and the heat pump is running continuously
below the balance point, auxiliary heat is required or the house gets cold
heat collected from outdoor air
heat pump

Generated explanation

The illustration shows a house maintained at 70°F with an outdoor heat pump connected to it. Pink arrows pointing away from the roof and walls represent heat escaping from the house, while yellow arrows pointing toward the heat pump represent heat collected from outdoor air. The annotations define the balance point as the outdoor temperature at which heat collected by the heat pump exactly matches the house's heat loss. At this point the heat pump runs continuously; below this temperature, auxiliary heat is needed to prevent the house from cooling.

Components

outdoor heat pump unit house exterior walls roof windows exterior door