If you’re in the market for a new heating or cooling system, a heat pump is an option worth considering. With their high operating efficiency and ability to provide both hot and cold air for your home, you may wonder if they’re the right choice for you. Below, we’ll go over some key things to consider when making your ultimate purchasing decision.
How Heat Pumps Work
Heat pumps are unique when it comes to heating your home. Instead of burning fuel to create heat, they extract heat from the air outside to warm your home. The outdoor condenser unit has a condenser coil that has gas refrigerant. As the condenser unit’s blower fan blows outside air over the coil, heat naturally transfers to the low-pressure refrigerant.
Inside the condenser unit is a compressor pump that’s responsible for circulating the refrigerant to and from the indoor air handler unit. As the heated refrigerant enters your indoor air handler unit, air from inside your home goes over the evaporator coil. Inside the coil, the refrigerant releases the heat, and the heat enters the air. The warm air then continues its journey to the various rooms throughout your home.
The uniqueness of a heat pump is that it can provide both heating and cooling. It cools your home by simply operating in reverse. Instead of extracting heat from the outdoor air, it extracts heat from your indoor air. This essentially cools the air, which then circulates throughout your home to make it feel colder. It can be best to think about a heat pump as a heat transfer system, as it moves heat from one location to another.
Are Heat Pumps Effective in Pittsburgh’s Climate?
Pittsburgh experiences its fair share of cold winter weather. This can have you wondering if heat pumps are worth the investment, as you may believe the outside air is too cold to extract heat. While this was the case many years ago with traditional heat pumps, things have changed tremendously in the last decade.
The invention of cold-climate heat pumps in Pittsburgh has completely transformed the available heating system options that area residents can consider for their homes. These units work well at temperatures down to -20 degrees Fahrenheit or more. Unlike heat pumps of the past, cold-climate heat pumps offer many key technologies that allow them to function at colder temperatures. These include enhanced refrigerants, improved coil design, smart defrost cycles, and inverter technology.
Benefits of Heat Pumps in Pittsburgh
Investing in a heat pump for your Pittsburgh home can be a great choice. A heat pump offers all-year-round temperature control. With a heat pump, you don’t need to worry about purchasing a separate heating and cooling unit. Heat pumps are extremely energy-efficient because they’re simply transporting heat instead of creating it. During the winter, they can reach operating efficiencies of 200% or more. The only other heating system that comes close is an electric furnace that offers 100% efficiency.
Since heat pumps don’t burn fuel, they don’t create any toxic exhaust fumes. This means you don’t have to worry about potentially dangerous carbon monoxide buildup in your home. These units are also more eco-friendly, as they don’t emit greenhouse gases into the air like heating systems that burn natural gas, propane, or oil. Heat pumps run longer cycles, making them less prone to blasting hot air and leaving behind cold spots that you can get with other types of heating systems.
Because heat pumps have such a high operating efficiency, they typically make you eligible for tax credits and local utility incentives. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 allows you to claim up to 30% of the total cost of your new unit up to a maximum amount of $3,200 per year on your federal income tax returns. This tax credit can offset the taxes that you owe. Even better, many local area utility providers will issue a one-time credit on your utility bill when you show proof of a new heat pump system purchase.
Considerations Before Choosing a Heat Pump
While heat pumps can be a great choice, there are a few factors you’ll want to consider when making your ultimate purchasing decision. Heat pumps, especially cold-climate options, are much more expensive than traditional furnaces. If you have a new home air conditioning system and you’re working on a tight budget to replace your outdated heater, purchasing a furnace may be a more cost-effective solution.
If you want to upgrade both your heating and cooling systems, a heat pump installation can be the ideal one-unit solution. It’s vitally important that you opt for a heat pump that offers a rating for cold climate conditions. These are the only units that will perform well in Pittsburgh’s constantly chilly climate. If you’re replacing a boiler or other type of heating system that doesn’t rely on ducting, you’ll likely want to consider a ductless heat pump. This offers heating and cooling through multiple indoor air handler units and is more efficient than standard heat pumps.
Are Heat Pumps the Right Choice for You?
After reading through our HVAC Pittsburgh blog above, it’s likely pretty clear that a cold-climate heat pump can be a great option for area homeowners. Their high energy efficiency and ability to switch between home heating and cooling make them a popular choice.
If you believe that a cold-climate heat pump is the ideal investment for your Pittsburgh home, call Wade Heating & Cooling today to schedule a free consultation.
