If you’re asking yourself questions about heat pumps, it’s probably because you’re ready to have your old HVAC system replaced, or else you have a new home and need to make a choice about how you’ll heat and cool it.
The majority of homes in our area use a standard HVAC system that combines an air conditioning system and a furnace. With a heat pump, you only have a single heating and cooling system: the heat pump does both jobs using the same methods.
Essentially, a heat pump is an air conditioning system that can reverse the direction it moves heat. In summer, it pumps heat out of the house. When the temperatures drop, it can switch so it pumps heat into the house.
Back to the original question: is a heat pump installation in Whittier, CA the right choice for your house?
It might be, but we can’t say for certain in a blog post. We need to know more about your house, your current HVAC system, and your budget. Although we think heat pumps are excellent choices, they aren’t ideal in every situation. We’ll get a bit more into some facts about heat pumps below that may help your choice, but please work with our professionals when it comes to making a final decision.
The Heat Pump dilemma
Here’s a drawback to heat pumps that you may have already known about or guessed. Because a heat pump draws heat from the outside when operating in heating mode, that means it’s trying to obtain that heat on a cold day. Where does it get the heat?
There’s always some thermal energy in the air, no matter how cold it gets. But a heat pump will suffer from a drop in energy efficiency if the temperature falls too low, such as below freezing. This makes heat pumps a problem in regions with extremely cold winters.
But that’s not where we live! This is hardly a drawback in Southern California. In fact, SoCal is one of the best places for heat pumps.
The Heat Pump Advantage
Let’s talk about some of the reasons why a heat pump works well for SoCal. If you have an all-electric home, the standard choice for heating is an electric furnace. Compared to an electric furnace, a heat pump is a more energy-efficient way to keep a house warm.
This is because heat pumps use electricity to power components that move heat from one place to another, rather than use electricity to generate heat the way an electric furnace does. You can expect to pay much less to run a heat pump compared to an electric furnace.
Heat pumps have great efficiency overall, which is why more and more organizations recommend them as environmentally beneficial. If you’re trying to help out the environment, a heat pump is a great option.
Something To Keep in Mind
To make a heat pump a cost-effective purchase, it must replace both your current AC and heater. If you only need to replace one of these, a heat pump is too expensive a choice—it has to work in both modes to be worth it.
Greenleaf Heating & Cooling serves all of Southern California. Contact us today to arrange for any residential or commercial air conditioning service you need.