What are Heat Pumps?
Heat Pumps are essentially air conditioners that can work in reverse. What this means is that a heat pump can cool and heat your home. It looks exactly like an air conditioner to the untrained eye, so you may have one without even knowing it!
How do Heat Pumps work?
There is a reversing valve in the unit that actually reverses the flow of refrigerant. In cooling mode, a heat pump unit will draw heat from the inside of the home and expel it outside just like a normal air conditioning unit. In heating mode, the heat pump reverses the flow of the refrigerant, which draws heat from the outside and releases it inside of your home. When the heat pump is running, the furnace doesn’t need to run, which saves you on your gas bill.
If I have a Heat Pump, do I still need a furnace?
In Colorado, you will still need a source of “emergency heat”. Heat Pumps work well as long as the outside temperature is above 30 degrees. When it gets colder, the Heat Pump loses efficiency, as there is less heat to be pulled from the outside. When this happens, a furnace or electric heat strip must be available to provide sufficient heat.
Will having a Heat Pump increase my electric bill?
During colder months, yes. Because Heat Pumps use only electricity, you will definitely use more electricity in the winter versus usage with a traditional furnace system. For this reason, we tend to recommend heat pumps for homes with solar energy, as this is the most economical way to go.
I currently just have air conditioning, can I convert to a Heat Pump?
Absolutely. Though it does require new equipment, as long as you have a centralized system with ductwork, we can retrofit a Heat Pump system. If you don’t currently have ductwork, we have options to still get your system installed.
How long does it take to install a new system?
Typically we can install and commission a Heat Pump system in four to five hours.