Are Heat Pumps Energy Efficient?
In today’s world, it’s all about being energy efficient. When it comes to the heating or cooling of your home, why should it be any different? If you are trying to be more environmentally conscious while saving on your monthly energy bills, you should consider a heat pump system for your home.
What Is a Heat Pump and How Does it Work?
A heat pump is a temperature control system, designed to both warm up your home in winter and cool it down in summer. It is typically installed outside of a building and is powered by electricity. They use a small amount of energy to shift heat from one place to another. Pretty simple right?
For example, heat pumps pull heat from the warm inside air and transfer it outdoors. Leaving the inside air, cooler than the outside air, transferring heat rather than creating it.
The two main types of heat pumps are ground-source and air-source pumps. Air source pumps are the most common and get their namesake from transferring air from outdoors to inside or vice versa.
Ground-source or geothermal heat pumps, transfer heat from indoor air to the ground outside. Geothermal pumps are more expensive to install but they have lower operating costs than air pumps, since ground temperatures tend to stay constant, so less energy is involved in transferring heat. This translates into lower electricity costs, making ground source heat pumps the more energy efficient of the two.
What Makes Heat Pumps Energy Efficient?
Energy pumps are regarded as the most stable and environmentally friendly heating and cooling system. But what exactly makes them different from your other options? We’ve listed some of the main reasons below, to help you with your decision if you are looking to make the switch.
Save on energy costs.
Heat pumps have a lower operating cost when compared with your traditional systems. If you are spending less on electricity, you’re using less! The less electricity your home uses each month directly relates to your impact on the environment and how efficient your system is.
Lower carbon emissions.
Heat pumps are more environmentally friendly than older systems and have a lower carbon output in their everyday use. Fewer carbon emissions mean that the system is using less energy to operate. Nowadays, finding as many ways to reduce your carbon footprint is influencing purchasing decisions in many homes. If this forms a priority for you too, then a heat pump is a good choice!
Life expectancy.
Although you are looking at making a large investment when buying a heat pump, these efficient machines are built well and made to last. We’ve already touched on lower operating costs, but in addition, they tend to last longer than older machines. In other words, you get to cool your home efficiently, for a longer time frame.
SEER Ratings.
When heat pumps are used to cool your home, they can be categorized by their SEER rating. SEER or Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio measures how energy efficient a cooling system is. This can be very useful when determining which model will be the most efficient for your home. The higher the SEER rating, the more energy efficient and worthwhile a heat pump is.
Time To Get A Heat Pump!
If you are looking to minimize your energy costs while reducing your environmental impact, then a heat pump is a step in the right direction. Art Plumbing, Air Conditioning & Electric has all the expertise you need when it comes to advice and installation.
Give us a call today at 1-800-475-1504 to find out the latest on heat pumps and what would be the best choice for your home.
