03/16/2019
February was brutal. Yet we got a message from one of our customers who upgraded from a 10 seer single stage to a 16 seer two stage heat pump. They reported a $100 savings in February alone!
Heat pumps are not normally considered a good source of heat for our climate. And for older machines, I agree! Natural gas is generally speaking much more cost effective (and more comfortable!) than a heat pump. But as the industry changes and we move toward more efficiency, they are getting much better. In the coldest times, heat pumps have a harder time keeping you comfortable. They don't make enough heat to keep your home warm, so they energize electric coils to heat your home. They are not at all unlike plugging in a space heater but they are really big ones! A properly operating heat pump today will run only your heat pump and will turn on the strip heat if it is needed. We spend some time in the winter where that's the case. A lot of times though, it is in the 40's and up. Where a two stage system really shines is those days where it's cool outside, but not really cold. You only need a little heat to stay comfortable. So it kicks on the first stage, or "low heat" you might say. Or when it's 80° out and you only need a little cooling to stay warm. It will engage "low cooling". When the temperature is up in the 90s it will provide you with full cooling or when it gets chilly out, full heating. And still not turning the expensive to operate electric strips until necessary! You're only paying to do what work is necessary instead of paying to run 60,000 BTUs of cooling when you only need, say, 25,000. You're just running that 25,000 and that's it, saving on your electric bill BIG TIME. They typically cost $1000-$1500 over a base line machine and you can expect to see a return on that in less than 5 years. And that savings will compound over the next 15-20 years of the equipment's lifespan. Putting in a new high efficiency unit will pay for itself in utilities savings over its life and as rates climb, the savings only come faster.
