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HOW HEAT PUMPS WORK

In this illustration, learn how electric heat pumps work by circulating liquid refrigerant between warm and cold spaces to provide heating in the winter or air conditioning in the summer. Heat pumps are as much as five times more energy efficient than traditional electric baseboard or forced air heat. Increasingly, property owners are replacing furnaces that rely on combustion of fossil fuels with electric heat pumps. This trend can help states reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reach net-zero targets.

Explore the graphic below—or view the original story published in The Seattle Times on March 6, 2023.

Illustration explaining how heat pumps work, including the cycle of refrigerant in indoor and outdoor units, as well as the cooling mode and boiling points of various refrigerants.

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