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.
An 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) a heat pump has a heating capacity, its heating efficiency is measured by the unit's HSPF. SEER - in the industry – for both heat pumps and air conditioners ranges from 13 to 21; HSPF from 7 to 9.5. At Hetter Heating & Cooling, we recommend, when purchasing a heat pump, to look at a unit with an HSPF of 8.5 or higher.
Federal Tax Credits are also currently available for heat pumps, air conditioners and gas furnaces. The parameters to qualify for 30% of the cost of the unit up to a $1500 tax credit are as follows: 15 SEER, 8.5 HSPF, 12.5 EER for heat pumps; 16 SEER, 13 EER for air conditioners; 95% AFUE for gas furnaces.
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.
On January 1, 2010 the U.S. Department of Energy mandated that all manufacturers could no longer produce R-22 based heat pumps and air conditioners. All outdoor units now must be R-410A refrigerant.
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 above – 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.
"Jhe gas company did an actual usage read on my gas meter March 2. My bill for February was $38.00. I’m loving it."
Shelley Clintonville
Installed Trane hybrid system October, 2008
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 consistently rated some of the most durable on the market. Trane’s patented Spine-Fin Coils come with the least amount of brazed in joints on the market which means to you – the homeowner – the least likely chance of a refrigerant leak which is the beginning of the end of a heat pump or air conditioner. For more information, go to trane.com.
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