I’ve been haranguing my parents to get a heat pump for years.
Heat pumps — basically air conditioners that also work in reverse, cooling and heating your home ultra-efficiently — came into my consciousness about five years ago, when I moved into an apartment that had one.
I was immediately sold on the technology: In place of ancient radiators, we had sleek mini-splits on our walls that seamlessly heated and cooled the apartment all year long, without burning fossil fuels. What’s not to love?
Despite raving to my parents about the benefits of electric heat pumps, however, I recently got a call from them that made my heart sink: Their gas furnace had died, in the middle of winter, and they’d be replacing it ASAP with another one. In other words, they’d be cementing another 15 years of gas-dependent heating.
My failure to get my parents on the heat pump train, however, was in some ways predictable. You can’t wait for the emergency replacement of a heating system when it dies. You need to be proactive to get yourself, or your loved ones, to make big home electrification decisions.
Here’s how to know if a heat pump is right for you — or your friends, neighbors and family members.
How to know if a heat pump is right for you
First, some basics: A heat pump is a type of technology that works almost identically to an air conditioner or refrigerator, both of which pull heat out of a space to make it cooler. Heat pumps can do this, but also work in reverse, pulling heat from the outside air and pumping it into your home.
Heat pumps are powered by electricity, and are becoming a popular option as homeowners look to move beyond fossil-fueled heating systems that pollute the air and contribute to climate change. But how do you know if it’s the right fit for your home? Here are some common scenarios.
If you’re replacing an existing AC unit
If your home already has a central air-conditioning system with ducts that supply air to each room, you’re in a great position to switch to a heat pump.
That’s because you can swap in an outdoor heat pump that will connect to your existing ductwork, still provide AC but with the added benefit of also supplying heat in the winter.
“If you’re going to replace your air conditioner anyway, there’s almost no reason not to install a heat pump,” said Mark Woodruff, senior product manager at Trane Technologies, which sells heating and cooling equipment.
There might be a slight added cost to upgrading to a heat pump unit but that can be offset by federal or state-level rebates.
If you don’t currently have central AC or ductwork
Maybe your home relies on radiators or baseboard heat, and doesn’t have air conditioning or ducts. In this case, you can still upgrade to heat pumps pretty easily using a ductless system.
You might be more familiar with this type of heat pump: An outside heat pump connects to indoor, wall-mounted units (often called “mini-splits”) that blow air into your house.
There are lots of benefits here. For one thing, installing a heat pump has the added perk of giving you AC. Plus, ductless heat pumps are a lot cheaper and less invasive than traditional AC installations. For the heat itself, heat pumps are going to be a lot more efficient than fossil-fueled systems and will qualify for those government subsidies.
“That’s exactly the reason ductless systems have been so popular,” Woodruff said.
So if you’re going to spend a significant amount of money replacing a gas or oil furnace, take a moment and consider whether you can put that money to better use on a heat pump installation.
One word of caution: Depending on where you live, a heat pump might increase your utility bills. In the Northeast, for example, gas and electricity rates are higher, so gas furnaces are often a cheaper way to heat your home than electric heat pumps. But in many parts of the country, lower electricity prices make heat pumps a no-brainer. You can use this calculator and plug in your local electricity rates to make the comparison.
The myths and realities of heat pumps
There’s more than a little misinformation floating around about heat pumps. Here are some common misconceptions.
It’s going to be more expensive
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer here. For some homes, installing a heat pump could be more expensive than installing other heating systems. Depending on the electricity rates in your area, a heat pump could also increase your utility bills.
The only way to know for sure is to get multiple quotes on a heat pump installation and compare that to other options. (Don’t forget to factor in government discounts for heat pumps, like the 30% tax credit in the Inflation Reduction Act). And again you can use this calculator to compare the operating costs of different heating systems.
It’s all-or-nothing
Installing heat pumps doesn’t mean you have to fully ditch other types of heating. Woodruff said it’s common for homeowners to adopt hybrid systems.
If you already have AC and a furnace, you can keep the furnace while swapping the AC for a heat pump. This allows you to run the more-efficient heat pump a majority of the time, but keep the gas furnace as a backup for especially cold days (although cold-climate heat pumps are suitable for almost any climate in the US at this point).
Heat pumps won’t work in my climate
They most likely will. New cold-climate models work well into the negative digits. A recently released model from Lennox, for example, maintains its capacity to -20 degrees Fahrenheit. And cold-climate models can still work even below that, they just might crank harder and lose efficiency.
Case in point: Norway and Finland, some of Europe’s coldest climates, have some of the highest heat pump adoption rates on the continent.
I won’t have heat if the power goes out
Unfortunately, that’s probably true of your fossil-fueled system, too. Most furnaces have some electrical component that keeps it running, even while it burns fuel, and will shut off when the power goes out.
So heat pumps are no more vulnerable to power outages than most other types of heat. One way to guard against this is to invest in whole-home batteries.
How to start conversations about heat pumps
If your current heating system needs replacement and you’re considering your options, don’t be afraid to ask your HVAC contractor about heat pumps.
Woodruff said you should make sure to talk about your different options within the realm of heat pumps. Are you going all-electric or with a hybrid system? Do you need a standard heat pump or a cold-climate model? You can talk to an installer to try to figure out which option is best for you.
The key is also to start thinking and talking about this before a system dies. When you’re in the middle of winter and a furnace conks out, you’re going to be in a rush to replace it with the same kind of product rather than reimagine your heating system. Start considering your options as equipment nears the end of its lifespan, but before it stops working entirely.
Why my parents could still be great candidates for a heat pump
While I did start talking to my parents about heat pumps years before their furnace died, I didn’t do a great job at getting them to seriously consider the option.
Because their home has a central AC system (with existing ductwork) and a gas furnace, they could easily swap in a heat pump unit without even necessarily ditching their gas furnace right away — or ever.
So while they’re locked into their shiny new furnace for at least another decade, I’m holding out hope I can make the case for adding a heat pump before their AC unit dies.
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