Samsung is betting that one of the most frustrating side effects of summer cooling — wasted heat — can be turned into a practical, money-saving resource.
According to Seoul Economic Daily, Samsung introduced a heat pump setup that recovers heat from air conditioning for domestic hot water and heating, a design the company says may trim summer electricity use by 20%.
Here's what to know
Samsung is testing the prototype EHS All-in-One at a detached house in Jeju City. The system links cooling equipment with a heat pump boiler so that heat a standard air conditioner would normally vent outside is instead used for hot water and indoor heating.
"It's not as hot as you'd think," Shin Moon-sun, who leads Samsung Electronics' HVAC development team, said of a unit on a 90-degree day, per Seoul Economic Daily.
Samsung says it plans to launch the product this year and describes it as Korea's first heat pump product that combines cooling and heating. The company also said the system can deliver up to 4.9 units of heat for every unit of electricity used. Where Korea's progressive electricity rate does not apply, energy costs could be 50% lower than with a conventional city gas boiler.
More background
Heat pumps can meet several household needs while wasting far less energy than older systems. They move heat instead of generating it from scratch, which can make them far more efficient than traditional boilers or resistance-based heating systems.
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What sets Samsung's version apart is that it integrates AC equipment and a heat pump boiler. At the Jeju demonstration home, a kitchen tap produced 122-degree water while a wall-mounted AC ran nearby, as Seoul Economic Daily detailed.
Samsung said the expected cost-effectiveness should compare favorably with installing a separate boiler and air conditioner.
It noted the product complies with Europe's strict 35-decibel noise standard.
What's being done?
The Jeju demonstration site, established in June, is producing real-world usage and performance data that could help the company refine the product ahead of a wider rollout, Seoul Economic Daily reported.
The company has set up another demonstration facility at its residential performance research center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.
Samsung also intends to create a model suited for apartment living in Korea.
"Compared with running cooling and heating separately, this can cut summer power consumption by about 20%," Shin said, according to Seoul Economic Daily.
Where can I learn more?
Samsung's Jeju pilot fits into a much bigger shift around heat pumps. The same technology is increasingly being used for summer cooling, lower home energy use, and the incentives that help households make the switch.
• Across Europe, heat pumps can cool homes like AC as heat waves strain power grids.
• New research shows heat pumps are 180% more efficient than older systems.
That helps explain why Samsung's approach could matter beyond a single product launch in Korea. A system that can cool a home, make hot water, and trim electricity use may keep paying off long after summer ends.
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