Heating with an air conditioner: is it worth it?

Yes, a modern air conditioner can also heat. When heating, it works as an air-to-air heat pump – it takes heat from the outdoor air and releases it into the room. Whether it is worth heating with it depends on the house, the model and whether the air conditioner is to be the main or a supplementary source of heat.

How an air conditioner heats

When heating, the refrigerant circuit of the air conditioner reverses. The outdoor unit takes heat from the surrounding air and the indoor unit blows it into the room. Electricity is used to transfer the heat, but the heat itself comes from the outdoor air. We also explain the principle in the article What is the difference between an air conditioner and a heat pump?.

When heating with an air conditioner is suitable

• in spring and autumn – when you do not yet want to switch on the central heating,
• as a supplement – in colder rooms, in an attic, in a study,
• in well-insulated flats – where the heat demand is low,
• in cottages and smaller buildings – as a quick source of heat.

What to consider

• Heating output in frost – as the outdoor temperature falls, output and efficiency fall too; look at the manufacturer’s data for low temperatures.
• Seasonal efficiency SCOP – a higher value means more economical heating. Read more in the article Air conditioner energy class: what SEER and SCOP mean.
• Heat distribution – an air conditioner heats the room it is in; it will not heat distant rooms.
• Defrosting – at low temperatures the outdoor unit occasionally defrosts and stops blowing warm air for a while. This is normal.

An air conditioner or an air-to-water heat pump

If you are looking for the main source of heating for a whole house, including hot water, an air-to-water heat pump is more suitable. An air conditioner is ideal for cooling and supplementary heating. See the Daikin heat pumps page.

Recommendation

If you also plan to heat with the air conditioner, tell us when choosing. We will take the heating output into account and recommend a suitable Daikin model. Request a quote.