Most of us think that heating and cooling solutions are simple. But the technology behind these solutions has taken years of research. The complex technology that drives heating and cooling solutions is the basis on which industrial, personal and public applications work on.

How do heating and cooling solutions work

The use of air

Heating and cooling systems work on a common thing - air (either heated or cooled). The heated or cooled air is then distributed to rooms and controlled by a thermostat. A furnace provides warm air and an air conditioner provides cool air.

If your air conditioning is centralized, the ducts pass cool as well as heated air. The thermostat regulates the air from these ducts. So when you encounter a problem with your heating or cooling system, you know the problem is with one of these things.

The heating and cooling theory is based on the science of warm thermal energy moving to a cold body (without any thermal energy).

The use of fuel

Heating and cooling solutions use some fuel (gas, oil, electricity) to operate. If air conditioners use electricity, heating systems may use firewood, diesel, or gas. A classic example of a hybrid heating and cooling system is a heat pump. The heat pump heats and cools air. In summer, it generates cool air from the air within your home. In the winter it generates hot air by sourcing the air outside your home. The heat pump uses electricity to operate.

Traditionally, air was not used to heat rooms. Heated water was used to heat the air in the rooms. This method was two-fold and expensive. To replace this inadequacy heating systems now work directly with the air inside or outside a room.

What happens when you turn a heating or cooling system on?

A furnace may use gas to operate. It can use oil and electricity too. When fuel is burned inside the furnace, the heat produced is directed to the different parts of your home by way of the ducts. Radiators blow this air inside the rooms.

Upon starting an air conditioner the electric power cools a gas that is in liquid state and held in a coil. The air inside the room is circulated through the air conditioner and in this process the cooling coil comes in contact with the air. The cooling coil cools the air and channels it back to the room.