Heat Pump Installation Copperfield

Heat Pump Installation Copperfield for Homeowners

When homeowners are well-informed concerning the lifespan of their heating and air conditioning system, and can plan to budget for replacement, it can be an exciting, new experience. If homeowners do not have the opportunity to plan and budget, it is also exciting, but perhaps not as enjoyable.

Purchasing anything new can bring that excitement and replacing a major building system in the home surely classifies as such. The technology has been upgraded, so the new system will have efficiencies and features that the 20-year-old system did not. Selecting a brand and an installation/maintenance team can be exciting—remember, this crew will install, maintain, and repair the system as needed for the next 20 years.

One of the exciting decisions will be whether a heat pump system is right for your home or whether it will be best to install a traditional furnace/air conditioner. Each home is as unique as the family that owns it. If you are considering a heat pump system, here are some things to help you make that judgment.

Proper Sizing of Your Heat Pump Installation Copperfield

The first tricky step is determining your home’s heating and cooling needs; HVAC professionals will do a courtesy load calculation to help ascertain which sized units will keep you comfortable and healthy. Do not assume the new system will be the same size as the old one. The load calculation takes into consideration:

• The square footage of the home
• The insulation R-value throughout the home
• The number, size, placement, and quality of the openings—doors and windows
• The number and health of occupants

Professionals are trained to make these calculations—installing a new system is not a do-it-yourself proposition.

Furnace or Heat Pump Installation Copperfield

To determine which system best meets your home’s needs, it is necessary to understand the heat transfer process.

Traditional heating/cooling systems use a furnace for heating and an air conditioner for cooling. Heat pumps use the same air conditioner components for heating and cooling, with a backup furnace for extremely cold weather. How can an air conditioner also heat a space? It happens this way.

• Heat is always attracted to a cold object. That is why lemonade melts the ice, ice does not freeze the lemonade.
• Using this principle, refrigerant gas is cooled to about 40⁰ F (in a closed network of tubes), and the hot air from the home is blown across the network. The heat rushes to the cold tube and is transported outside, where it is released into the great outdoors. Air conditioning does not blow cold air into the home, it removes the heat from the air—a technicality for sure.
• A heat pump uses the same process in reverse: the cold refrigerant is exposed to the outside air, collects heat, and transports it inside. Indoor air is blown across the hot tube network, warming indoor air.
• A furnace generates heat—usually with electricity or natural gas—and blows air from indoors across the heated chamber. The heated air moves into the house.

The two systems achieve the same results, but the process is very different.

Location is the Key for Heat Pump Installation Copperfield

The question is—is there enough heat in the winter in South Texas for heat pumps to effectively warm a home? The answer is “Yes!” A heat pump can transfer sufficient heat from outdoors until the temperature dips below 35⁰ F. The average low temperature in January, our coldest month, is about 38⁰ F, meaning heat pumps will work very well in our area. For those few days when the temp does drop below that threshold, the backup furnace is available to handle the load.

A heat pump doesn’t need to generate heat (via electricity or natural gas), so it is much more efficient than a regular furnace making a home’s utility bill much lower with a heat pump in our vicinity.

Have Questions About Heat Pump Installation Copperfield?

Northwind Air Conditioning and Heat can help answer your Heat Pump Installation Copperfield questions. Contact us and get the help you need.