If you’re in the market for a new heater or air conditioner for your Elizabethtown, KY, home, heat pumps are well worth consideration. These dual-functioning units provide even and consistent heating in winter and reliable cooling in summer. They’re low-maintenance, highly efficient, and can give your indoor air quality a significant boost. Read on to explore seven reasons to install a heat pump.
1. Experience Unmatched Efficiency
Both central heat pumps and ductless mini-split heat pumps are currently ranked among the most efficient heating and cooling solutions available. In fact, the climate in Elizabethtown is ideal for heat pump use. This is due to the heat transfer process that heat pumps rely on. Rather than combusting fuel to heat air, heat pumps extract heat from outdoors and route it inside.
Depending on which model you choose and how you use it, you could enjoy efficiency levels of 400% or higher. Some heat pumps can produce four times as much heating and cooling power as they consume in electric energy. Not only is this better for your wallet, but it’s also better for the environment. If you’re looking for a way to reduce your carbon footprint, installing a heat pump is ideal. High-efficiency electric furnaces have annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) ratings of 100%. However, these appliances are still outperformed by heat pumps.
Heat Pump Performance and Cold Temperatures
Heat pumps have a reputation for losing efficiency when outdoor temperatures plummet. In some locations, central and mini-split heat pumps can struggle to create and maintain the indoor temperatures that homeowners want. When outside temperatures dip below zero degrees Fahrenheit, they may even freeze up and stop working altogether.
However, the climate in Elizabethtown rarely causes a problem. With a mid-level heat pump, you can enjoy peak efficiency as long as temperatures remain above 32 degrees Fahrenheit. With winter temperatures rarely dipping below 27 degrees, your heat pump will never be in danger of underperforming or freezing. Best of all, if efficiency losses do occur, they’ll be nominal. They still won’t make your equipment less efficient than other heater types.
2. Enjoy Impressive Tax Incentives
With more states and local municipalities establishing ambitious zero-emissions goals, electric heating is quickly becoming the wave of the future. Unlike gas-fired furnaces and other fuel-combusting heaters, heat pumps produce no emissions. As such, there are many rebates and incentives that homeowners have access to when making these upgrades. Under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, tax rebates are available after installing a new heat pump with a sufficiently high heating seasonal performance factor (HSPF) rating. This will offset the costs of your new equipment by potentially adding to your end-of-year tax refund.
3. Protect and Improve Your IAQ
Switching from a fuel-combusting heater to a heat pump is a great way to enhance your indoor air quality. All fuel-combusting appliances produce carbon monoxide (CO) gas and other emissions due to incomplete combustion. Although these exhaust gases are routed outdoors, there’s always a risk associated with:
- Crushed or collapsed venting systems
- Vent blockages
- Dangerous backdraft events
- Natural gas leaks
Having a heat pump and electrifying other fuel-combusting appliances throughout your home will eliminate the risk of CO exposure.
In some environments, heat pumps can also promote cleaner indoor air than forced-air furnaces can by harboring and releasing fewer airborne particulates. If someone in your household struggles with asthma, allergies, or any other chronic respiratory condition, this might be the right HVAC upgrade for you.
4. Store and Maintain Less Equipment
Central HVAC systems feature furnaces and air conditioners. With these setups, homeowners have units to house indoors as well as AC condensers installed outside. In total, these systems take up more space and require more maintenance year-round than heat pumps do.
With a heat pump, you’ll have an indoor air handling unit and an outdoor condenser unit. Although your heat pump will require annual service, it will have fewer components for technicians to inspect and clean. There are also fewer parts to replace. You’ll also have more room indoors for other forms of storage.
5. Easily Toggle Between Heating and Cooling Modes
Transitioning a heat pump from heating mode to cooling mode is as simple as toggling a single valve. Best of all, this is something that a professional can take care of for you during your pre-season heat pump maintenance.
In summer, heat pumps are functionally identical to central air conditioners. They draw warm indoor air in, pass it over their evaporator coils, and then funnel this same air back inside after extracting its heat. In winter, heat pumps use this same process, but they function in reverse to harness heat from the outdoor air. In all seasons, heat pumps also provide ongoing air filtration and humidity regulation.
6. Enjoy Whisper-Quiet Operation
The ticking, clicking, banging, and rattling sounds of an aging furnace can quickly become annoying. Whether new or old, heat pumps supply whisper-quiet operation. Free of combustion, these heating systems don’t cause rapid temperature fluctuations that drive the expansion and contraction of metal and other materials that generate loud sounds. You’ll hardly hear your heat pump cycle off and on, and you won’t have to worry about it interrupting your sleep or jolting other residents awake on cold winter nights.
7. Integrate Your Heat Pump With Your Existing HVAC Infrastructure
You don’t have to transition to a ductless mini-split system to enjoy the benefits of a heat pump. You can connect a central heat pump to your existing ductwork. Although slight duct modifications are needed to accommodate all new heating or cooling equipment installations, you won’t have to radically revamp any of your current HVAC infrastructure. When replacing your furnace with a heat pump, you can also replace your air conditioner. In most cases, heat pump condensers can sit in the same areas that AC condensers are currently located in, and homeowners can use the same storage areas for their air handlers.
Integrated IAQ Accessories and Central Heat Pumps
Central heat pumps can also support all of the same integrated IAQ accessories that central furnaces support. If your home needs humidification or dehumidification equipment for indoor moisture control, such as an air purifier, media filter, or air scrubber, you can still have these appliances installed and enjoy consistently superior performance.
HVAC Zoning and Heat Pumps
Heat pumps can also accommodate ambitious zoning plans. With HVAC zoning, you can divide your living space into multiple service areas, install a smart thermostat in each service area, and control temperatures in individual zones independently. Zoning an HVAC system with a heat pump will give you the unmatched efficiency of heat transfer and the ability to only heat or cool spaces that people are actively using. Best of all, according to ENERGY STAR, using smart thermostats, which are required for HVAC zoning, could result in additional savings of up to 8% on your annual heating and cooling costs.
We’ve been serving Elizabethtown and the surrounding areas since 2008. You can count on us for superior electrical, plumbing, heating, cooling, and indoor air quality services. We also offer garage door installation, drain cleaning, and preventative maintenance plans. To find out more about installing a heat pump or to schedule an appointment, contact Absolute Services today.
