Using a Heat Pump this Fall: Is it a Good Idea?

Compared to heat pumps, furnaces are what most homeowners choose to heat their homes during fall and winter. However, if the temperatures are milder, using a heat pump is a more prudent choice.

Four Seasons Air Specialists is a top HVAC company in Lino Lakes MN that offers a wide selection of heat pumps engineered to provide your heating needs when the temperatures are a little moderate.

What is a Heat Pump?

In its most basic sense, a heat pump is a device that uses a small amount of energy to move heat from one location to another. It usually pulls heat out of the air or ground to heat a home, but the process is reversible to cool a building. Heat pumps operate the same way an air conditioner does.

The Difference Between a Heat Pump and a Furnace

During this time of year, you have two great choices to keep your home comfortable — a furnace or a heat pump. But what are their differences?

A furnace creates heat by burning oil or gas and circulating that heat throughout your home. On the other hand, a heat pump only uses a power source (electricity) and refrigerant to move heat from one place to another. A heat pump can act as a heater when it’s cold outside, or as an air conditioner when it’s hot.

When it comes to energy efficiency, there is a significant amount of output you get from a heat pump compared to a furnace. Today, the best-performing furnaces convert as much as 98 percent of the fuel into heat while the remaining 2 percent escapes elsewhere.

In contrast, a heat pump is three times as efficient, using only one unit of electricity to move three units of heat energy. That means you save a considerable amount on utility costs by choosing to run a heat pump when it’s not blistering cold.

Advantages of Using a Heat Pump

Heat pumps have high Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratios (SEER), making them an environment-friendly way of creating a comfortable living environment. They don’t burn fossil fuels, which significantly lowers your carbon footprint as you use them — heat pumps are environment-friendly HVAC systems. If you heat your home with electricity, a heat pump can lower the amount of energy you consume for heating by as much as 30 to 40 percent. Not only does a heat pump lower your electricity usage, it also helps the environment in the process.

With proper maintenance and care, a heat pump can last between 15 to 20 years. With the help of a qualified professional who will periodically take care of your unit, you can rely on this HVAC system for many years.

These devices also provide consistent heating throughout the home. Compared to other heating systems, a heat pump will not give you frequent temperature fluctuations.

Heat pumps are quiet and convenient to operate. The compressor is typically placed outside the home and helps to keep noise levels to a minimum.

Like mentioned above, a heat pump moves heat from a cold space to a warm space. So, when it’s cold outside, it will transfer the warm air into your home and when it’s hot outside, it will transfer the warm air out of your home. Since the heat is not created but only transferred, a heat pump is significantly less expensive to operate.

Certain heat pump models offer advanced features to better suit your needs. A heat pump with a two-speed compressor allows you to control the capacity at which the device is functioning. As a result, your energy consumption is greatly lowered. Other models can also recover waste heat from the heat pump’s cooling mode and use it to heat water.

Ask the HVAC Experts

If you’re considering installing a new heat pump in your home this fall, call Four Seasons Air Specialists. We offer top-notch heat pump installation services, making sure your brand new unit functions according to the manufacturer’s specifications. Our technicians have multiple years of experience and have been trained to properly set up any HVAC systems. We are your dependable Centerville heating and air conditioning company.