Heat pumps are fantastic heating and cooling systems that deliver as much as 300 percent efficiency per electricity consumed when in heating mode. They rival high-efficiency air conditioners when cooling. By upgrading your heat pump with advanced features, you can increase efficiency even more while providing the very best in home comfort for you and your loved ones.
Upgrading your heat pump
The following advanced features are better engineered than their conventional counterparts, and they integrate well with other energy-saving strategies such as zoning systems and programmable thermostats.
- Two-stage compressors pump the precise amount of refrigerant through the heat pump to meet your heating or cooling needs. This promotes the most efficient heat exchange possible from the refrigerant – the magic of heat pump efficiency. By implementing variable compressing speeds, it minimizes wear and tear on the compressor, and significantly reduces noise.
- Variable-speed air handlers use less energy, last longer, and offer quieter operation than conventional air handlers that have only one speed – full blast. Rather than being blasted by hot air in the summer and cold air in the winter when a single-speed air handler powers on, variable-speed air handlers start at low speed, and slowly adjust their velocity to deliver a steady airflow for longer time periods. The continuously low air speed avoids the wasted energy that occurs when your equipment stops for a period, then has to go full blast to reheat or cool your living areas.
- Two-stage thermostats are must-have components for homeowners in the Indianapolis area. Two-stage thermostats regulate a heat pump’s heating mode based on outdoor temperatures. Heat pumps are efficient down to about 30 degrees. When the outdoor temperature falls below a certain set-point, usually below freezing, the two-stage thermostat activates backup heating, usually electric resistance coils (though increasingly homeowners are using gas or oil furnaces for relatively inexpensive backup heat). Many homeowners turn down the heat setting while away from home during the day. This saves energy while the thermostat is set back, but when the thermostat is turned back up to a comfortable temperature, the backup heat powers on in conventional heat pumps. If it’s electric backup, this negates any energy savings achieved earlier. A two-stage thermostat can prevent the backup heat from powering on, and utilize the high-efficient heating of the heat pump until the thermostat set-point is reached.
For more information about upgrading your heat pump, please contact us at Mowery Heating, Air Conditioning and Plumbing. We proudly serve Greater Indianapolis homeowners.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Brownsburg, Indiana and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
