Is A Heat Pump In Your Future?

     When you think of cooling your home, you probably think, "air conditioner", evaporating cooler (swamp cooler), or window fan. As it turns out, a heat pump can be a preferred way of cooling your home. Wait! "Heat to cool your home?? Well, that is a bit of misnomer. But a heat pump can both heat, and cool your home.

     In some parts of the country where the winter temperatures seldom get below 35 degrees, a heat pump is a great advantage because you won't need a separate back of heat source like a furnace or air handler. Where we live in the Boise, Idaho area, we still get some pretty cold mornings and we have to have a back up heat source, due to the fact that heat pumps began to lose efficiency at about 30 degrees. Once the outside temperature gets above 30 the furnace will seamlessly turn off and switch over to heat pump use.
     Let me explain how they work. I am going to focus on 'air source' heat pumps because, they are most commonly used in residential air conditioning, and they look exactly like an air conditioner. They use the ambient air temperature to heat. The operative word in heat pump; is the word pump. What makes them energy efficient is, that instead of 'making' heat, or 'making' cold air, They are in essence pumping, or transferring cold air out of your home in the winter, and replacing it with warm air. Moving air is more cost effective then manufacturing air. In the summer time, it reverses the process, moving hot air out of your home, and replacing it with cold air. It works much on the same principle as your refrigerator. Not to get too 'techy' on you, but, remember back when you were in school and they taught you in science that 'cold' is merely the absence of heat. and 'heat' is merely the absence of cold. That is basically the same principle heat pumps work on.
     So, why hasn't everyone switched to heat pumps. The reason is, that, in much of the united states we still get some very cold weather and a heat pump is not as efficient as a furnace in those areas. In most cases though, it is less expensive to run an electric heat pump than to run a gas furnace. It is staggering less expensive then propane or resistance heat! (baseboard, ceiling heat, or electric furnace) Overall they are a smart choice for many homeowners, and most heat pumps are energy star rated. They also don't cost much more than an A/C unit. @comfortguyjerry has one at his home and we love it. My  natural gas usage the first winter we had it was cut in half! My electric bill went up slightly. I installed a 16 SEER heat pump and a 95% efficient furnace, and I know I am saving 25-30% on my overall heating and cooling bill. For more information on heat pumps go to our website at www.greensheating.com. Maybe a heat pump IS in your future.

Why Is A Matched System Important?

     As we approach the summer months, we might start remembering how hot is was last summer, and we were remembering that our A/C didn't seem to be keeping up and keeping us cool. Maybe we remember how much noise our A/C was making and how rusted out and dirty our outdoor unit was. In either case, we should think about whether or not it is time to replace it.
     If you replace a outdoor unit that is 15 years old, you will need to replace the indoor coil that fits above or below your furnace. The reason being is, that all new systems call for the new R-410A refrigerant that is environmentally friendly.

    Here is what you may not know. If your replacing the A/C outdoor unit and the indoor evaporative coil, you SHOULD replace the furnace at the same time. I know, your saying there is nothing wrong with the furnace and we don't use it in the summer!
     Air Conditioners, Heat Pumps, Furnaces and Air Handlers have energy efficiency ratings. The only way to achieve those ratings is by installing a matched system. There are SEER ratings. (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) There are HSPF ratings. (Heating Seasonal Performance Factor) There are EER ratings. (Energy Efficiency Ratings) and the like. These are standards of energy used in comparison with comfort and air delivered. Its all very technical I know. @comfortguyjerry is here to tell you, if you want to get an A/C with a SEER rating of 14, you will have to replace your furnace with a new one. Why? All of these ratings are tied together, meaning, the furnace has to be the right efficiency, the blower motor size delivering the correct CFM's has to be correct and add to that, your duct work has to be sized correctly. All these factors are required to get a 14 SEER unit.
     Plus, when the installer comes out to install your new A/C, he going to have to pull your furnace out anyway to be able to install the new evaporative coil. Trust me, they are not just trying to sell you more product. Their goal is to help you get as close as you can to the efficiency that is stated on the equipment or in their literature. Don't make the mistake and assume that if you purchase a 14 SEER A/C that your are going to get 14 SEER. You will 'get up' to 14 depending on these other factors. For more information check our website at www.greensheating.com
     www.greensheating.com

Going Green with HVAC

Usually when we start talking about going green we think in terms of buying a hybrid car, using recycled paper products, recycling, and the like. Literally there are numerous things we can do to be a little kinder to our planet. After all, we have no other place to live. @comfortguyjerry would like to explain the role of a new heating and cooling system, and how it can impact your life in terms of comfort, but also in terms of taking care of our environment. For instance, you might consider installing a Heat Pump instead of an air conditioner before summer. Their are several advantages to heat pumps, and they work well in most parts of the U.S.A. What is the difference between a air conditioner and a heat pump? First, a heat pump will heat your home, AND cool your home. Second, it will usually heat your home at a lower cost than gas, propane, or electric resistance heat like baseboard or ceiling heat. How can that be? Well, a heat pump uses either ambient air, water, or the ground to move heat and cold to and from the home. It requires less energy to MOVE air then it does to PRODUCE air. Furnaces manufacture or produce warm air from the get go. Heat Pumps, essentially pump or move cold air out of your home and replace it with warm air, using less energy. Now in most cases you will still need a back up heat source in the form of a furnace or air handler. Here is why. First you have to have a blower to deliver the air to the home, and your air to air heat pump will begin to lose efficiency at about 30 degrees above zero. So the thermostat is set so when the outside temperature drops below 30 degrees above zero, it will automatically switch over to your back up heat source, ie, gas, propane, or electric furnace. When you are using a gas furnace and a electric heat pump this is called a hybrid system. Its kind of like a car that runs on electricity and gas. So your heat pump will heat your home 90% of the time and the more expensive back up heat source will only run 10% of the time, therefore saving you money. What does that mean as far as going green? Well, your gas or propane furnace is putting less noxious gases in the atmosphere like carbon monoxide, etc.
     Of course in the summer when you're wanting cooling, the heat pump works just like an air conditioner, and as far as efficiency is concerned they are both rated at anywhere from 13 - 20 on the efficiency scale called a SEER rating. The higher the number, the more miles to the gallon, as it were. So if you want to save on electricity use as well, then you are smart to select the highest SEER rated heat pump you can afford. For more information on heat pumps visit our website at www.greensheating.com.