If you’re thinking about replacing your aging electric furnace this year because it’s just no longer dependable or it costs too much to run, we have a suggestion: look into installing a heat pump Conway, AR. Our climate is well-suited to the way a heat pump works, which is similar to an air conditioner—with the exception that it heats as well as cools. All it takes is an adjustment on the thermostat to switch a heat pump between these modes.
How a Heat Pump Operates
If you have a standard HVAC set up where the air conditioner and the electric furnace are in the same cabinet, a heat pump can easily replace both. Heat pumps are electrically powered, so you don’t need to worry about making a gas conversion to get heat. Once the heat pump is in place, it works like an air conditioner: refrigerant circulates between an indoor and outdoor set of coils, and as the refrigerant condenses and evaporates, it moves heat from one place to the other. In cooling mode, heat is pumped out of the house. When the heat pump switches over to heating mode, the direction of the heat movement is reversed so heat is pumped into the house.
Heat Pump Benefits
The biggest benefit of a heat pump is that it does two jobs in one, and you can replace both your AC and furnace at the same time. But a heat pump also offers a big benefit for home heating compared to an electric furnace, which is that it consumes much less electricity. An electric furnace generates heat by running large amounts of voltage through coils to heat them up through electrical resistance. But a heat pump doesn’t generate heat at all. It instead powers components that move heat from one place to another, and this consumes from four to five times less electricity than electrical resistance heating. In fact, the exterior of the heat pump doesn’t even get hot as it does the job.
Now why is this suitable for our climate? First, the cooling half of a heat pump’s operation is just as powerful as you need during our hot and humid summers. Second, our milder winters make it easy for the heat pump to work in heating mode without losing energy efficiency. Heat pumps can face trouble when the temperature outdoors is too cold for it to easily extract heat. Our winter temperatures don’t drop far enough to do that. A heat pump can manage your home’s winter comfort needs without strain.
Find Out If a Heat Pump Is Right for You
Not all homes are suited to a heat pump. For example, homes with gas power may wish to stick with a gas furnace and make the best use of this energy resource. If the AC in the house isn’t ready to be replaced, putting in a heat pump may not be cost effective: a heat pump must work as both heater and AC to be worth the investment.
You can rely on our honesty and skill to help you make the choice about your best heating option.
Ethics and customer satisfaction are at the forefront of our business at Dewees HVAC. Call us and we’ll keep you comfortable!