TL;DR
An air-source heat pump is an electric heating and cooling system that moves heat between indoor air and outdoor air through a refrigerant cycle, extracting warmth from outside air even in winter and reversing to cool in summer. Because it transfers heat rather than generating it, it delivers two to four units of heat per unit of electricity.
What it means
An air-source heat pump is an electric heating and cooling system that moves heat between indoor air and outdoor air through a refrigerant cycle, extracting warmth from outside air even in winter and reversing to cool in summer. Because it transfers heat rather than generating it, it delivers two to four units of heat per unit of electricity. Modern cold-climate models with variable-speed compressors hold capacity near full output at 5 F and operate below -15 F. Ratings to compare are HSPF2 for heating and SEER2 for cooling, and ducted, ductless mini-split, and hybrid dual-fuel configurations cover most homes.
Where it sits in the glossary
Air-source heat pump is part of the Trade jargon group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.
ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.
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See also
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