The vaporized refrigerant moves to the other side of the heat pipes, where the cooler air passing through it condenses it, giving off the heat it had absorbed earlier, and raising the temperature of the air stream to the required level. Grooves on the interior of the pipes act as a wick to return the liquid to the opposite end of the pipes. Once there, it repeats the evaporation cycle. Most models of heat pumps and air-conditioners can be retrofitted with dehumidifying heat pipes. They can also be built into new heat pump or air-conditioner heat exchanger coils.
Heat pipes save electricity in another way as well.
They allow the cooling system to be reduced in size. There are also new types of heat exchanger coils for air conditioners and heat pumps. Test indicated that they improve the performance of a heat pump by a significant percentage. Another type of heat exchanger is the O-coil. This design permits a better airflow across the coils, and uses fewer welds, which minimizes the chances of refrigerant leaks.