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Show Energy series I Modern heating, cooling saves this waste heat from a heat pump into a source for heating household water is a hot water bank." With a one to five-ton heat pump system, the hot water bank can produce more than 9 gallons of hot water per ton of rated cooling capacity. For example, a heat pump rated at five tons of cooling capacity can provide 46 gallons of hot water for each hour the unit's compressor operates. Part of the heat moved by the heat pump is reclaimed with two concentric pipes. The inner one circulates water from the home water heater, while the other circulates a refrigerant gas heated to about 200 degrees by the waste heat. This action heats water from the water heater to 140 to 160 degrees. The water is then stored in the water heater, as usual, until it is needed.: There are many factors you need to consider before you make inv provements to your home heating and cooling system. The region of the country you live in, the size of house you own, other improvements you have made in the past and even your family lifestyle all have to be factored into home energy decisions. A qualified dealer is your best source of information in-formation for the options available to you. Many dealers have portable computers that they can bring to your home. I The following is the first in a series to help i Record readers save I energy in and around ' their homes. This week's ; installment deals with , heat pumps. ; CEDAR CITY - When considering home improvements im-provements this year, don't forget the savings in money and energy that you could reap by i modernizing your home's heating and cooling I system. For example, if you are thinking of replacing your old central air conditioning system, consider replacing it with a heat pump. The heat pump concept, con-cept, notes General Electric Company may be new to many consumers, con-sumers, but it is not new in the heating and air conditioning industry. Basically, a heat pump is a central air conditioner that can both heat and cool your home. In summer it takes heat ' from inside the home and ) transfers it to the outside air. In winter, the cycle reverses, and heat from ' the outdoor air is tran-i tran-i sferred inside the home. Because the heat 5 pumps only move hear from place to place with burning fuel to produce the heat, these systems are highly efficient. With fuel costs rising yearly, this makes heat pumps especially attractive. If your existing oil or gas furnace is still in good condition, but you still want to take advantage of the savings from heat pump efficiency, consider con-sider an add-on heat pump. An add-on heat pump operates in conjunction con-junction with an existing gas -or oil-fired furance. With the system, the heat pump does the job as long as it can efficiently keep the indoor temperature at the desired level. When the temperature drops to levels where heat pumps have to work harder to raise indoor temperatures, tem-peratures, the system automatically switches over to the existing furnace. The result is economical operation and a reduced dependence on expensive gas or oil. For economical operation, it doesn't make sense in the summer to have a central air conditioner or heat pump take heat from inside the home and just "throw it away." One residential heat recovery unit that turns |