Heat pumps are a very popular choice for both residential and commercial comfort control. Air-source heat pumps, the most popular kind, work by transferring heat between your home and the outdoors. Since they are not generating any conditioned air, merely transferring it, they can provide up to four times the amount of energy that they use. And, unlike the heat pumps of yesteryear, they actually produce HOT HEAT!!!
Heat pumps can reduce the amount of electricity you use by as much as 40 percent. One of our most popular heat pumps is called a dual-fuel system or a hybrid system. We couple a heat pump with a gas furnace for backup heat. Basically, the heat pump operates during milder temperatures, which gives you the best comfort and efficiency, and then the system automatically switches over to gas when it gets really cold outside. All of this results in ultimate comfort and significant savings in utility bills that can offset the cost of installation after just a few years. While typical pumps use ductwork to distribute air, there is an alternative called a ductless mini-split. These include several indoor units that are all attached to a single outdoor unit. Each indoor unit is controlled independently so you can have different temperatures in different rooms. This allows you to turn off units when that part of the house is unoccupied, resulting in reduced energy use. These are very popular in sunrooms, rooms over garages, etc. Geothermal heating pumps are even more efficient than the air-source variety. Instead of transferring heat from the air, they get it from the ground. They utilize the constant underground temperature or a nearby water source. In the muggy months of summer, they pull warm air out of your house and deposit it to the ground. These are more expensive, but you will see an even greater change in your utility bills and they qualify for a 30 percent federal tax credit. If you have any more questions about the benefits of heat pumps and how they can keep your home comfortable contact Russell's Heating and Cooling today. We have been proudly serving Hampton Roads area since 1977. Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information, click here to download our free Home Comfort Resource guide. Russell’s Heating & Cooling services the Chesapeake, Virginia and the surrounding areas. To get started, check out our website.