At Clayton, we believe the difference between “it’s just a house” and “home sweet home” is in the details that turn a home into the perfect place for you and your family, and that includes your home’s HVAC system. We know the manufactured home buying process comes with a lot of questions about home features, including energy-efficient options.

So, to help keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer, all new Clayton eBuilt® homes powered by electric include a SmartComfort® by Carrier HVAC heat pump. Some of the main benefits of having a heat pump in your manufactured home include:

• Lowering your monthly utility bills from the day you move in, because a heat pump requires less electricity to heat and cool the air in your home compared to a traditional air conditioner.
• Keeping your home’s temperature more evenly distributed, with fewer hot or cold spots because of the way the duct system works.
• Helping our planet by using more sustainable, energy-efficient technology to reduce your carbon footprint.
• Heat pumps remove humidity from your home as it cools, making the home more comfortable.

Now let’s learn about what an HVAC heat pump system is and how it works.

How Do Heat Pumps Work?

The name “heat pump” can be a little confusing because a heat pump system provides both cooling and heating. Heat pumps work on the principle that it’s easier to move heat where it needs to be, rather than create it. They heat a home by pulling cool air from outside and heating it up as it’s moved inside.

For cooling, they reverse the process and take warm air from inside your home and push it outside. In fact, the technology heat pumps use is not new, and they are already a part of many appliances you already use in your home every day, including refrigerators, dehumidifiers and air conditioners.

How Does a Heat Pump Differ from a Traditional Air Conditioner?

The main difference between a heat pump and a traditional AC unit is that a heat pump can heat and cool, but an air conditioner can only cool. That means an air conditioner is typically paired with a furnace to provide heat during the colder months.

As far as cooling your home, a heat pump and an AC unit both use compressed refrigerant to collect heat from inside your home as air passes over the coil in the air handler and is transferred outside. Because heat pumps are transferring heat rather than converting it, this allows for a more consistent temperature throughout your home. In addition, heat pumps also bring the home greater comfort by functioning as a dehumidifier. Heat pumps naturally pull moisture out of the air as part of their cooling process, leaving your home drier.

Why is Clayton Including Heat Pumps in Our Homes?

At Clayton, we believe in driving change for the good of our customers, and our communities. With the addition of HVAC heat pump systems in our homes, we’re working to help you lower your monthly utility bills with a more efficient temperature control system. And because heat pumps are designed to require less electricity, they’re a better choice for the planet.

Heat pumps are among the variety of energy-efficient features that are standard in new Clayton eBuilt® homes, along with ecobee® smart thermostats, Rheem® hybrid water heaters and low-E argon gas windows. These features can help your finances and improve the comfort of your home from the day you move in, without having to pay for more efficient upgrades. Clayton is committed to finding ways like these to help sustain the resources in our communities, and to learn more about our efforts, from recycling construction materials to the way we build our homes, check out our Sustainability page.