Heat pumps have been around a long time. In their infancy, they provided heating and cooling for homes in mild climates, say 40 - 80 degrees Fahrenheit. A home would have a back up heat source (forced air furnace?) for colder times. Similarly homeowners would augment the cooling with window air conditioners. Heat pumps were sort of an odd bird, working well most of the time, but not coming through in the extremes.
Today, heat pumps are being installed, and only heat pumps (no back up source needed) in a variety of inclement climates. What changed?
But before we go there, how the heck do those things work anyway? Heat pumps work by transferring heat from one place to another using a refrigerant. They can be used for both heating and cooling purposes. In a heating mode, the heat pump extracts heat from the outside air, ground or water source and transfers it to the indoor space. This process is achieved by circulating a refrigerant through a closed loop system, which includes an outdoor unit (evaporator) and an indoor unit (condenser). The refrigerant absorbs heat from the outdoor air, which causes it to vaporize and travel to the indoor unit where it is compressed, raising the temperature and releasing heat into the indoor space. In a cooling mode, the heat pump works in reverse. The indoor unit acts as the evaporator, extracting heat from the indoor air and transferring it to the outdoor unit (condenser), which releases it into the outside air.
What changed is pretty simple. Efficiency. Heat pumps can be highly efficient because they do not generate heat like a traditional furnace or air conditioning unit. Instead, they move heat from one place to another, making them an environmentally friendly and cost-effective option for heating and cooling.
Today, it is standard practice to install only a heat pump to heat and cool a house...with no back up heat or cooling source. Most heat pumps run on electricity. Clean energy proponents like heat pumps for their ability to run off clean power (think solar, wind etc). Most power companies offer consumers a green energy option, allowing folks to decarbonize their heating and cooling even if they don't have their own clean energy source.
Unfortunately, many traditional HVAC companies do not offer heat pumps as a "go to"solution, but merely look at replacing an aging/inoperable furnace with like kind. The natural gas industry has a strong lobby in an effort to keep natural gas in our homes
Often, we only replace a heat source when it fails, limiting options to contractors and systems available on short notice. Consider making a plan before your heat source fails. Proactively identify what contractor you will use, what system or type of system you'll want and the timeline involved. You might even replace an aging/failing heat source before the emergency situation.
After that crazy heat dome in the summer of 2021, we went in search of air conditioning. As we had an aging furnace, we choose to replace it with a heat pump. That got us a new, more efficient heat source along with central cooling! We used Greensavers for the work and were very impressed with their process, service and the end result. I'd be glad to talk more with you if you have questions.
