For years, the HVAC industry was solely made up of furnaces and air conditioners. However, that hasn’t stopped new technologies and inventions from entering the HVAC world. With these advancements, you can now warm your home up with only electricity or heat and cool your home with the same system. The machine we’re describing is the heat pump.
It can be a great option for a lot of families, but it may leave you wondering if a heat pump is worth it?
In most cases, heat pumps are worth it. Heat pumps are usually more expensive to install, but you end up saving more money throughout the year with low maintenance costs, making heat pumps a great investment. Additionally, heat pumps are much safer with no risks for a gas leak, which can expose you to carbon monoxide.
Below, we dig deeper into the pros and cons of heat pumps to help you decide if a heat pump is a right choice for you.
How Does a Heat Pump Work?
Heat pumps don’t directly generate heat like a furnace would. Instead, it transfers heat between outside and indoors. This system doesn’t require any fossil fuels to burn at all. It can do the job using just electricity.
A heat pump is able to do this because it is actually a system made up of two different units. One is placed inside and one is outside. Heat simply transfers between the two oftentimes without air ducts being necessary at all.
The Benefits of Owning a Heat Pump
Your HVAC units take up a big chunk of your monthly energy bills. We want you to feel great about your decision when you go to install a new unit. We routinely install heat pumps, furnaces, and air conditioners for our customers, so we’ll be ready to help when you make your choice. Here are some of the positives of owning a heat pump!
Costs
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how great new technology is if it costs way more than the existing equipment. Luckily, that isn’t the case for heat pumps! In fact, one of the primary benefits of a heat pump is that it costs much less to operate.
One of the main reasons for this is the fuel source. Heat pumps can use electricity to move heat from one place to another with the help of a refrigerant. This requires a lot less energy than burning fuel and trying to harness that heat. Additionally, electricity is a power source that is becoming more and more efficient to produce every year with added renewable energy infrastructure. The savings could end up cutting your heating bill in half in some cases!
Safety
This added benefit is often overlooked, but it’s essential to remember. Any gas-power appliance has the potential to accidentally emit carbon monoxide into your home. It’s a small chance, but when multiplied by millions of homes across America, carbon monoxide poisoning ends up impacting thousands of families every single year. That doesn’t mean all gas-powered appliances are bad. It just means that you need to stay vigilant by keeping your CO detectors up to date and following up with routine maintenance. A heat pump avoids all this hassle because it doesn’t have the risk of a gas leak or CO problem.
The Cons of Owning a Heat Pump
Installation Costs
Heat pumps can cost more to install. Luckily, you can make this up with your monthly energy savings, but it could take quite a few months before those savings make up for it. If you are planning to move in the next few months, or don’t want to deal with the higher installation costs, then a furnace might be a better option.
Lack of Power
Furnaces create their own heat. While one might see this as an inherent inefficiency, others can look at it as the best way to fight off cold temperatures. If we were an HVAC company in Minnesota or Wisconsin, we probably would steer people more towards furnaces because the extra power is worth it to overcome the extremely cold winters over there.
The experts at Earnhardt Heating and Cooling can help you select a unit that works with your budget, lifestyle, and indoor comfort needs. To schedule an appointment, call (336) 814-2613 or fill out an online contact form.