More and more homeowners in the Metro Phoenix area are turning to heat pumps as an alternative to traditional HVAC systems. Are air source heat pumps right for home heating and cooling in your home? Let’s take a look at the many advantages that heat pumps offer for Tempe, Scottsdale, and Mesa homes—could any of them help you or your family?
The Many Benefits of Heat Pumps
1. Heat Pumps Work in the Winter and Summer
Heat pumps work by extracting heat from the air and transferring it through refrigerant tubing between indoor air handlers and outdoor condensers. In the winter, heat pumps transfer heat from the cold outdoor air (yes, even very cold air contains some heat) and bring it inside to warm your home. In the summer, the process is reversed—heat is extracted from warm indoor air and sent outside, cooling your home.
With both heating and cooling settings, heat pumps can replace your entire HVAC system.
2. Heat Pumps Don’t Need Ductwork Vents to Work
There are two main types of heat pumps. With ducted heat pumps, the indoor air handler half of the system connects directly to your central ductwork. But there’s another kind of heat pump, often called ductless mini-split heat pumps, that don’t require any ductwork at all. Mini-splits are a great option for homes with inconsistent heating or cooling, homes with flat roofs, or new additions and rooms without duct vents, because they can be customized to create “zone heating” in your home.
3. Heat Pumps Are Very Energy Efficient
Heat pumps are so energy efficient that they actually produce more energy than they consume to operate, giving them an incredible bang for your buck compared to heating and cooling systems that use fossil fuel for energy. And, according to the DOE, they use up to 50% less electricity than other electric home heating options.
4. Heat Pumps Are Environmentally Friendly
Traditional heating systems create heat through fossil fuel combustion, which generates CO2, one of the greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. Heat pumps run completely on electricity, which can be generated by cleaner (and renewable) energy sources than fossil fuels like coal, natural gas, and petroleum.
5. Heat Pumps Save You Money
Because of heat pumps’ efficiency, you can stand to save a significant amount of money on your monthly heating and cooling bills when you upgrade your HVAC system. Plus, you know that there will be much less energy (which you’re paying for) wasted through heat production. With ductless mini-splits, you can adjust which rooms of your home are heated or cooled, avoiding areas you don’t use and lowering your energy costs in the process.
6. Heat Pumps Can Eliminate “That One Cold Room”
Heat pumps are a significant asset for homeowners because of how versatile they are. While many homeowners do replace their entire traditional HVAC system with heat pumps, they can also be used just as easily to supplement an existing heating and cooling system. If you have rooms in your home without duct system access, or that your current ductwork has trouble reaching, mini-splits are a great solution, allowing you to keep your entire home comfortable year-round.
7. Heat Pumps Can Make Your Home Healthier
Heat pumps don’t create CO2 in order to heat your home, while indoor carbon monoxide leaks can be a real danger for combustion heating systems like gas furnaces. With electric heat pump installation, you can feel safer about the indoor air quality of your house.
8. Heat Pumps Are Quiet
Heat pumps are known for their quiet operating noise levels, and many models have decibel levels in the 50s – that’s lower than the average murmur of a restaurant, or a traditional air conditioner at 100 feet away! If you’re looking for a heating and cooling system that you often forget is even on because of how quiet it is, heat pumps are a perfect option.
9. Heat Pumps Can Lower Indoor Humidity
Out of towners tend to think of Arizona’s climate as dry—so humidity couldn’t be an issue for Phoenix homeowners, right? In reality, Arizonans deal with home humidity issues all the time, especially during monsoon season. Just like an air conditioner, heat pumps can dehumidify the air. So, if you’re comparing heat pumps vs. AC units, remember that heat pumps are just as effective a dehumidifier as an air conditioning system, plus it can also be used in the heating season!
Upgrade Your HVAC System with Heat Pumps from Ideal Energy
Want to know where to put a heat pump in your home? How about an overview of heat pump prices for your home? At Ideal Energy, we have years of experience dealing with home heating and cooling for homeowners throughout the greater Phoenix metro area. Our team of HVAC and home performance experts can walk you through your AC and heat source options, the system costs to install, and available incentives and tax credits to help you save even more when you upgrade your home.