Buying a Heat Pump

 A heat pump is essentially an air conditioner that can both heat and cool a apartment. ( For more report on how a heat pump accomplishes this bit of wizardry, please see our article on how heat pumps work. ) A simple inducement is that a heat pump can extract heat found in the air ( or motive ) outside your house and transfer that heat into your house instead. Under the right conditions tangible can pull off this substantially more cheaply than a gas or oil furnace.

 Consider the adjoining questions when buying a heat pump:

 * Is a heat pump the best fitter - - or would you be better off buying a furnace and a central air conditioner?
 * What size heat pump you have to buy?
 * What is heat pump efficiency, and how energetic should your heat pump be?
 * Which brand of heat pump is most excellent?
 * Who should place your heat pump?

 Is a Heat Pump the Most Excellent Choice?

 Thanks to a heat pump can both heat and cool a house, wouldn ' t you always rather buy a heat pump than a central air conditioner? And wouldn ' t you rather have a single piece of equipment to tenacity, establish and maintain than both a central air conditioner and a furnace? While the answer may be this uncomplicated, you should reflect on several factors.

 The seasonal weather in your band is probably the most great factor in this decision. If the temperature infrequently dips below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, you can probably heat your home more affordably with a heat pump than a furnace. However, if the temperature is generally colder, you should subscribe to having a backup heat source. Many people choose a gas or oil furnace to serve this purpose - - both for reasons of charge and for a furnace can more soft maintain warm temperatures when the nonconformity between the temperature outside and inside increases.

 Support, heat pumps are generally more expensive than a central air conditioner of the same efficiency and capacity. For example, at one administer - to - consumer retailer, a 1. 5 ton, 13 Augur Rheem heat pump retails for about $100 more than the equivalent 1. 5 ton, 13 SEER Rheem central air conditioner. Contractors may also charge some more to install a heat pump than a central air conditioner.

 A third criteria for reflect on it is longevity. Since a central air conditioner is typically one used during the summer months, and a heat pump is used during both summer AND winter, the lifespan of a heat pump is typically shorter than that of a central air conditioner. Maintenance costs are typically higher as well, since the compressor, controls and contrary components will drop more months superficial of the year.

 Finally, the natural gas and oil have traditionally been more affordable than electricity. However, as petroleum costs have skyrocketed in the foregone months, this may not be true in your area. ( Of course, this also varies by section. Some, for example, have specific out that the abounding hydroelectric dams in the Propitiatory Northwest of the United States often result in electricity costs lower than natural gas costs. ) Since heat pumps almost often flight on electricity, you ' ll want to consider whether a gas furnace would be cheaper.

 What size heat pump have you to buy?

 Choosing a heat pump that outputs the correct rate of warm and cold air ensures furtherance, low maintenance, and efficient dash. Heat pumps should serve as sized to escape continuously to maximize efficiency. A heat pump that is too much large for your house cycles on and off severely often, which increases the dilatory on the equipment and decreases its efficiency. Awfully small, and the unit may not be yielding to carry you comfortable during both summer and winter.

 Unfortunately, polished is no design to an accurate measurement - - you need to get an HVAC contractor to calculate your rack ' s heating load. The standard measure of a heating load is a Manual J calculation, and it takes care account your house ' s insulation, size, value of cope, and multitudinous single factors.

 Heat Pump Efficiency: SEER vs. HSPF

 The heating and cooling functions of a heat pump each have their own stirring of efficiency. A heat pump ' s cooling efficiency is measured by its " Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ranking ", or Seer. Its heating efficiency is measured by its " Heating Seasonal Performance Antecedent " or HSPF.

 In warm climates where you ' ll want to commence cool air often and hot air rarely, you ' ll want to choose a heat pump with a high SEER. In pantry climates, you ' ll want to make sure that your heat pump has a tremendous HSPF.

 Highly competent heat pumps normally cost more than less efficient models. You may want to think out how many months it will take to pay hang this increased market price through savings in your liveliness invoice. If you are planning to leave your current house within a few years, you skill prefer to install a lower efficiency heat pump, since you are unlikely to compensate the deeper rate. ( Of course, money is not the individual factor to consider - - you may be willing to pay more to diminish your diggings ' s impact on the environment. )