Heat Pumps have grown in popularity recently given the ever increasing cost of natural gas. The heat pump itself is actually the outdoor unit. It both heats and cools your home.
A increasing amount of homeowners, concerned with the high price of natural gas, have opted for our industry's version of the hybrid system. That is, installing a heat pump in place of an air conditioner thereby giving their home two sources of energy for heat - natural gas and electricity.
The cooling efficiency of a heat pump, like an air conditioner, is measured by its SEER. Because (unlike an air conditioner) it has a heating capacity, its heating efficiency is measured by the unit's HSPF. SEER - in the industry - ranges from 13 to 21; HSPF from 8 to 10. On January 23, 2006 the U.S. Department of Energy mandated that the minimum allowable cooling efficiency of an air conditioner or heat pump is to be 13. The industry minimum had been 10 since 1992.
The indoor unit in a heat pump or all electric system is referred to as the air handler. The air handler consists of a blower motor, evaporator coil and auxiliary heat package. A common misconception is that this unit is the home's primary source of heat when - in reality - it is only a back-up. Trane offers air handlers with a standard blower motor and a variable speed blower. (See the variable speed bullet point under Gas Furnaces to view the benefits of variable speed).
Again, heat pumps can be installed with gas furnaces and can be a great compliment in areas where gas prices are very high and temperatures are mild (30's and 40's). In Ohio, heat pumps have become very popular because temperatures in the fall and spring are mild (perfect heat pump weather), therefore, there can be a definite energy savings. In a hybrid system (gas furnace & heat pump), your gas furnace will only kick on when the temperature outside dips below 35 degrees. Because heat pumps lose efficiency as the temperature drops outside, your utility savings in a home with a hybrid system, therefore, are optimized.
At Hetter Heating & Cooling, we recommend, when purchasing a heat pump, to look at a unit with an HSPF of 8.5 or higher. Trane's product line is packed full of not only high efficient options to choose from but options that also offer superior reliability. Trane's patented Climatuff compressors are some of the most durable on the market. And after all, the compressor IS the heart and soul or your heat pump.
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