If you live here in the Vacaville, CA, area, you likely appreciate the mild winters we enjoy. However, it still gets cold enough that your home needs a reliable heating system. Gas furnaces were the go-to option for reliable, efficient heat for almost a century. However, heat pumps have gained market share as a viable alternative in recent years. Here is everything you need to know about heat pumps and if they are the right option for your home.
What Is a Heat Pump?
A heat pump is a unique type of HVAC system that offers heating and cooling in a single, convenient package. However, heat pumps don’t burn fuel to generate heat, unlike many other types of heating systems. Instead, they use electricity and operate by moving existing heat from one place to another.
Whether you know it or not, you likely already own at least two types of heat pumps. One of them is your refrigerator. It moves heat from its sealed interior and expels it into the surrounding air. The other is your current air conditioner. It extracts heat from your home’s air — including the heat released by your refrigerator — and releases it outdoors.
A heat pump relies on the same operating principles as a refrigerator or AC. The main difference is its inclusion of a reversing valve. That lets the heat pump operate bi-directionally. In cooling mode, a heat pump operates exactly like an AC. In heating mode, it reverses its refrigerant flow to capture heat from the outdoor air and carry it indoors.
What Are the Advantages of a Heat Pump?
Many people view heat pumps as the primary successor to gas furnaces as the go-to residential heating system. They offer multiple advantages that explain why that is. Their most important advantage is their superior energy efficiency. Today, most gas furnaces operate at approximately 81% efficiency. That means at least 19% of the gas they consume goes to waste. High-efficiency gas furnaces are somewhat better but top out at about 98.7% efficiency. By contrast, a modern air-source heat pump can achieve efficiency levels approaching 400%.
The key to heat pump efficiency is that they only move — not create — heat. A perfectly efficient gas furnace can never surpass a 100% efficiency rate. A heat pump, however, has no theoretical maximum efficiency restriction. They’re only limited by how efficiently they absorb heat. That’s why geothermal heat pumps often hit 600% efficiency by exploiting stable subsurface temperatures. However, air-source heat pumps typically average an efficiency between 200% and 350%, depending on outdoor temperatures. In extreme cold, heat pump efficiencies can drop below that range.
Another significant advantage of a heat pump is that it can be effectively carbon-neutral. That makes it a vital technology in the fight against climate change. A heat pump’s only carbon footprint comes from two places. The first is the carbon emitted in the system manufacturing process. The second is the carbon emissions tied to producing the electricity that powers it. Pairing your heat pump with renewable energy sources reduces its carbon footprint to near zero.
Heat pumps also excel at maintaining stable, even temperatures inside your home. They do it incredibly well in heating mode. That’s because heat pumps output air at a lower temperature than a furnace. As a result, they run for longer stretches and avoid cycling on and off. That provides continual airflow and prevents air temperature fluctuations.
What Are the Disadvantages of a Heat Pump?
Heat pumps, while advantageous, are far from a perfect HVAC solution. There are a few notable disadvantages you should know about before installing one. One is their upfront cost, which is much higher than that of conventional HVAC systems. However, considering that a heat pump can replace your home’s existing AC and furnace, that is understandable. Regardless, you can expect a heat pump installation to cost an average of $19,500, not including incentives. That makes installing a heat pump a significant investment in your home.
You should also know that, despite their efficiency, heat pumps won’t always save you money. According to data collected by EnergySage, Vacaville residents pay an average of 30¢ per kWh for electricity. That rate can quickly erase your cost savings relative to a gas furnace. Natural gas is plentiful and inexpensive, so gas furnaces remain popular despite their relative inefficiency. The good news is that most heat pumps provide cooling on par with today’s most efficient ACs.
Deciding if a Heat Pump Is a Good Option for You
If you’re currently shopping for a new HVAC system for your home, a heat pump deserves serious consideration. There are two critical reasons for that. One is the climate here in our area. Heat pumps work best in environments that rarely see temperatures below 40 degrees. That describes our typical winter weather almost precisely. The other is looming natural gas appliance bans.
In 2022, the California Air Resources Board voted to ban the sale of new gas furnaces beginning in 2030. As of this writing, you have less than five years to purchase a gas furnace if you want one. It also means the state is serious about pushing homeowners toward full electrification. As more homes switch to heat pumps, you can expect natural gas prices to rise. So, a new furnace may not enjoy its operating cost benefits for much longer.
Additionally, multiple incentive programs are available to help defray the cost of a new heat pump. One is a federal nonrefundable tax credit worth up to $2,000 on qualifying systems. Another is a federally-backed point-of-sale rebate worth up to $8,000, depending on your household income. At the state level, the TECH Clean California program also offers a rebate of up to $1,500 on qualifying heat pumps. All told, the incentives may reduce the cost of a heat pump enough to achieve cost parity with a furnace.
However, two situations may argue against choosing a heat pump. One is if you’ve recently replaced your home’s air conditioning system. Installing a heat pump would mean squandering the investment you made in it. The other situation is if you’re on a tight budget. Since some heat pump incentive programs involve tax credits that you might not be able to fully use, they may still cost more upfront than you can afford. In those situations, an affordable gas furnace may be a wise choice.
Your Local HVAC Specialists
Whether you ultimately choose a heat pump or a furnace, Cozy Home Services can help. We’re a local full-service heating company with a team of HVAC pros offering installation, repair, and maintenance by our team of highly trained technicians. We also offer financing on approved credit to help you afford the HVAC you want. We pride ourselves on doing right by our clients in all we do. That’s why we have so many positive reviews and testimonials from our satisfied customers. So, if you need a new HVAC system for your home, contact the experts at Cozy Home Services today!
