If it’s time to invest in a new heating or cooling system for your home, you have many different types to choose from. One option that’s becoming more common is a heat pump. We’ll discuss this HVAC solution and why it may be the perfect investment for your home.
What Is a Heat Pump?
Many people associate a heat pump solely with heating because of its name. While a heat pump certainly produces heat for your home, it can also produce air conditioning. It’s easiest to think of a heat pump as a heat transfer system. It works to remove heat from your home in the summer and disperse it outdoors. Conversely, during the winter, a heat pump will transfer heat from the air outside to your home’s interior to warm it up.
A heat pump comprises three different components: an indoor air handler unit, refrigerant lines, and an outdoor condenser unit. If you opt for a ductless mini-split system, then your system will have from one to eight indoor air handler units. The main substance that’s responsible for transporting heat inside your heat pump is refrigerant. Its pressure is altered to a low level so that heat from the air will naturally transfer into the refrigerant.
Air-Source vs. Geothermal Systems
There are two different types of heat pumps that you can purchase for your home: air-source heat pumps and ground-source or geothermal heat pumps. Air-source heat pumps extract heat from the air during the winter months to warm your home. Geothermal heat pumps extract heat from the soil to warm your home. Air-source heat pumps don’t require as extensive an installation as geothermal heat pumps do, and they tend to be much more affordable for the average homeowner. This is why they’re the most popular system to have installed.
Regular Maintenance Needs
Just like any other type of heating or cooling system, a heat pump will need to receive regular maintenance service to stay in good working condition. It’s important to schedule maintenance service at the start of every spring and fall to help maintain the warranty coverage on your system and ensure that it’s operating at its peak efficiency level.
You’ll also need to be mindful of your system’s air filter. If you rely on a heat pump that connects to ductwork, you’ll need to replace the air filter every two to three months. If you use a ductless mini-split system, you’ll need to wash each system’s filter at least once a month for optimal efficiency and indoor air quality.
Heating and Cooling in One System
Probably the biggest advantage of investing in a heat pump is that you’ll need to purchase only one system to handle your home’s comfort needs throughout the entire year. There’s no need to invest in both a furnace and a central air conditioning system to stay comfortable. This can help to simplify the overall use of your system and make it easier to locate important installation paperwork later on when you need it for repairs covered by the warranty.
Great Energy Savings
One of the most desirable benefits of the heat pump is its energy efficiency. These systems offer the highest operating efficiency of any heating or cooling system out there. Their efficiency level especially shines during the winter months, hitting efficiency levels of 300% to 400%. The system that comes closest to this efficiency would be an electric furnace that operates at 100% efficiency. The more efficient your HVAC system is, the more comfortable you’re going to be in your home and the more money you’ll be able to save on your annual energy bills.
Tax Incentives
Because these systems are so energy efficient, the federal government is rewarding homeowners who invest in them. Under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, homeowners can claim up to 30% of the total cost of their new system up to a maximum of $3,200 in the form of a tax incentive. Some state and local governments are also offering tax incentive benefits in differing amounts. You may even find that your local utility company will give you a rebate when you purchase one of these systems. These incentives and rebates can help you recoup some of the up-front cost of purchasing your new system.
Ducted or Ductless Integration
A big advantage that heat pumps hold over other types of HVAC systems is that they can be integrated with ductwork or installed in a ductless setup. The latter is ideal for older homes that don’t have existing ductwork installed. Instead of relying on ductwork to deliver hot and cold air throughout your home, a ductless mini-split system relies on multiple indoor air handler units to deliver treated air to specific rooms in your house. The systems can help you further maximize your energy-efficient operation and provide more comfort throughout your living space.
No Toxic Exhaust Fumes
If your household relies on a traditional heating system that burns fuel to create heat, then you must be careful about maintaining proper ventilation. The combustion process creates toxic exhaust byproducts that can be harmful when they accumulate inside your home. Having properly installed smoke and carbon monoxide detectors is an absolute necessity when running these types of systems. The beauty of a heat pump is that it doesn’t produce any toxic fumes because it doesn’t burn fuel to create heat. This can give you peace of mind about the safety of your household members.
Getting Professional Assistance With Installation
If you believe that a heat pump could be the right purchase for your home, contact one of our professional HVAC technicians to install it for you. Most heat pump manufacturers won’t sell directly to consumers. Rather, they sell only to HVAC installers, who they know will make sure to install the system correctly the first time around. Additionally, most HVAC manufacturers will not honor the warranty coverage on your system if you do the installation work on your own.
Seeking the assistance of a professional technician can help to ensure that you get an appropriately sized heat pump to handle your home’s heating and cooling needs. A heat pump is a large financial investment for any homeowner, and it would be disappointing to spend that money on an appliance that is too big or too small to meet your needs. A unit that is too small simply won’t keep your home at a comfortable temperature, whereas a unit that’s too big will run up your energy bills. Our technicians will use precise calculations after evaluating your home to ensure that your system is appropriately sized for your individual needs.
Expert Heat Pump Installation Service
Snowbird Heating & Cooling offers expert heat pump installation services for the Polk County, FL community. We can also help with all your heat pump replacement, maintenance, and repair needs.
Call our team at Snowbird Heating & Cooling today to book your next heating services appointment with one of our helpful HVAC technicians.
