Refrigerators and air-conditioning systems are really just one-way heat pumps (or a half-heat pump). Because they move heat rather than generate heat, heat pumps can provide up to four times the amount of energy they consume in electricity, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. heat pump is equipment that uses a refrigerant to move heat from one place to another. During the summer, a heat pump captures heat from inside a home and transfers it to the outdoor air through a condensing unit.