Typical Single-Package Rooftop System

The typical capacity for a rooftop-packaged unit is 5 to 130 tons. Rooftop units work well
for single-story buildings, but don’t fit into multi-storey schemes. These units are popular
for general air-conditioning of stores, residences, schools, offices, etc. particularly
suitable for single flat building with extensive floor areas

Heat Pumps

Heat pumps are similar to cooling only systems with one exception. A special 4-way
valve in the refrigeration piping allows the refrigeration cycle to reverse so that heat is
extracted from outside air and rejected into the building. Heat pumps provide both
heating and cooling from the same unit and due to added heat of compression, the
efficiency of heat pump in heating mode is higher compared to the cooling cycle.

In the summer heat pumps work like a standard air conditioner removing heat from
inside your home and transferring it to the outside through the condenser coil. In the
winter heat pumps run in reverse removing heat from the outdoor air and transferring
into the home by the evaporator coil, which now becomes a condenser coil in the
heating mode. As the temperature drops outside, the unit must work harder to remove
heat from the air, lowering its efficiency. At this point, a heat pump system will use
supplemental electric resistive heaters to warm the air to the proper temperature, similar
to the heating elements in a toaster.

Heat Rejection

Most decentralized systems use air-cooled finned tube condensers to expel heat. The
larger packaged air conditioners may be water cooled or air cooled.