TOLEDO, Ohio — With temperatures plummeting in the last few weeks, people have once again been thinking about how to keep the air in their home nice and comfortable.
In homes around northwest Ohio, that has largely meant natural gas or propane furnaces.
But there is a new type of heating system that is becoming more popular in cold northern climates like ours; the heat pump.
Although more prevalent in milder climates such those in southern states where air rarely reaches extreme cold temperatures, heat pumps are becoming more popular in northern states like Ohio.
There are a number of reasons for this.
Heat pumps are more efficient than natural gas furnaces according to the U.S. Department of Energy, since, instead of generating heat, they work by transferring heat from one space to another rather then generating heat from burning fossil fuel. This provides obvious environmental benefits as well as potential, financial benefits.
But, how well do they work?
David Overfield, President of Pugh Heating and Air Conditioning, says heat pumps have come a long way in the past twenty years when heat pumps had trouble operating below 30° or 40°.
“High efficient heat pumps that are out there now use an inverter type compressor, a variable speed compressor, and that type of unit can heat all the way down to 5° outside at 100% capacity. Some of them can get down to -15° outside.” said Overfield.
There are also, hybrid heat pump systems that include a supplemental gas furnace that kicks in during extreme cold weather.
Overfield says the hybrid systems offer the best of both worlds, the reliability of gas along with the efficiency of heat pumps.
Finally, the cost of installing heat pumps can be greatly offset by recent federal tax credits of up to $2000 that were put in place by the Inflation Reduction Act. Overfield says you have to pay attention to the details in order to get the credit however.
“Just because you put a heat pump in does not mean that you are automatically going to get up to a $2000 tax credit,” said Overfield. “Whoever is installing your system, and you want to take advantage of that tax credit, make sure they are giving what they call an AHRI certificate that shows that it’s high efficient and matches the criteria the government set forth to make sure you get that tax credit.
Although, without the benefits, heat pumps are more expensive to have installed than furnaces, with the benefits, the installation cost becomes much more comparable between the systems.
Still, it’s important to do your homework before making the switch to a heat pump. Factors like the cost of electricity compared to natural gas, the size of the area you are heating or cooling, and the size of tax benefits you can get can all play a role in determining what heating system is the best fit for you.
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