Central Air Conditioning

A split system. A conventional central air-conditioning system consists of an outdoor unit and an indoor unit, connected by pipes that carry a refrigerant compound.

A central air conditioning system relies on a refrigerant to "pump" heat from inside your house to outside. When the refrigerant compound is allowed to expand and change from a liquid into a vapor, it gives up a great deal of heat -- just like perspiration does when it evaporates from your skin.

The evaporator coil in the HVAC system is cooled by this phase change. A blower in your system's air handler forces warm interior air through the evaporator, cooling it before it enters the ducts that distribute the air throughout the house.

If your central air conditioning unit is more than 12 years old, replacing it with an ENERGY STAR qualified model could cut your cooling costs by 30%.

Many homes with central AC have a standard "split" system —an outdoor unit that rests on a concrete pad, and a separate indoor unit that's connected to the ductwork system. The interior part of a central air conditioning system will include a drain line for the moisture that condenses out of the interior air as it is cooled.

The heat pump cycle can be made to work in reverse, providing heat to interior spaces rather than cooling. When hot weather ends and the heating season begins, a dual-mode heat pump can reverse the refrigerant cycle and begin to warm the air that is blown through your ductwork system. Heat pump systems that supply heating and cooling work best in climates with mild winters.

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