Installing properly sized HVAC equipment for your home is essential to getting the best performance and comfort. A system that is either too large or too small for its intended space will struggle to meet your home comfort needs. Your HVAC contractor can help determine what size system is right for your home. Your contractor should verify the proper size system for your home using a tool called "Manual J" &#; a calculation of the amount of heating and cooling your home requires to keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
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If you have a relatively new furnace with an older central AC, or if you are planning to add a new central AC to the furnace, consider an ENERGY STAR certified heat pump. This creates a dual-fuel system for a modest extra cost over an AC system. Dual fuel systems allow for the flexibility of heating with a heat pump or with a more traditional gas or oil furnace and enables you to use each system optimally based on costs and environmental benefits.
Many new ENERGY STAR certified ASHPs excel at providing space heating even in the coldest of climates, as they use advanced compressors and refrigerants that allow for improved low temperature performance. If you live in a climate where winter temperatures regularly dip below freezing, talk to your contractor to choose an ENERGY STAR unit suited to your particular home. When you ask your contractor for an ENERGY STAR certified cold climate ASHP, you can be confident that your new AHSP system will deliver the heating performance and efficiency benefits you expect on even the coldest winter days. A good contractor will work with you to determine the size and potential integration with a back-up heating system that will work best for your home.
Climate ASHP technology has improved significantly over the past several years, and many ASHP systems are capable of delivering heating capacity and efficiency at low outdoor temperatures. The ENERGY STAR certification requires third-party verified performance for low temperatures, testing ASHPs down to 5°F. Testing cold climate ASHP performance at 5°F ensures that your ASHP will provide all the heat you need to keep your home comfortable all winter. Your cold climate ASHP will continue working at temperatures below 5°F, but pairing it with a back-up energy source will heat your home the most efficiently when temperatures are even lower.
Air source heat pumps that earn the ENERGY STAR are eligible for a federal tax credit up to $2,000. This tax credit is effective for products purchased and installed between January 1, , and December 31, . Learn more at www.energystar.gov/taxcredits. Many utilities also offer incentives for installing ENERGY STAR certified ASHPs. Check with your local utility for more details or go to: www.energystar.gov/rebatefinder.
If you've decided that you need to purchase a new air-source heat pump, learn how to hire a contractor. Remember, even though these products can be more expensive to purchase up front, the cost difference will be paid back over time through lower energy bills. Consider regular maintenance of your heating and cooling system to prevent future problems and unwanted costs. ASHPs are one of six high-impact improvements to your home that work together to deliver significant energy and cost savings. Learn more about additional improvements with the ENERGY STAR Home Upgrade.
Be sure to look for the ENERGY STAR when shopping for an air-source heat pump. Use the ENERGY STAR Product Finder to help you identify high efficiency equipment that meets the latest ENERGY STAR certification criteria and then work with a professional installer to find the model that is right for you. ENERGY STAR offers tips on how to hire a contractor.
Air-source heat pumps originally qualified for the ENERGY STAR label in April, .
Current Requirements effective date: January 1,
Air-Source Heat Pumps and Central Air Conditioners Key Product Criteria: ENERGY STAR
Learn How a Product Earns the Label
Awareness of air source heat pumps is increasing as more and more homeowners are talking about low carbon heating systems. A heat pump system is different to a traditional central heating system that uses a gas or oil boiler so to help homeowners fully understand the advantages and disadvantages of this renewable technology, we have summarised some in this article.
An air source heat pump cleverly uses the heat energy in the air and captures this to be used in a central heating system. Instead of using a fossil fuel, heat pumps are a renewable energy source and require electricity to power them. They do operate differently to a traditional heating system so living with a heat pump is not the same as a gas or oil-fired system.
There are many benefits that homeowners can enjoy when they own a heat pump but it is important that they understand the differences too, so let us take a look at some air source heat pump pros and cons.
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If your home is currently heated by a fossil fuel, such as gas, oil or LPG, then swapping to a heat pump will mean you will no longer need to order these fuels, allowing you to heat your home more sustainably. You can therefore enjoy not having these fuel costs to pay each month as your gas bills will be no more!
When an air source heat pump is installed and set up correctly, they are very efficient units, maximising output for the energy consumed. For example, the Grant Aerona³ 6kW air source heat pump produces 6kW at a SCOP of 4.62 when tested at a low temperature and in average climate conditions (SCOP refers to the efficiency of a heat pump, calculating its overall performance during a particular season and dividing this by the annual energy consumed to run the heat pump). In summary, what this means is that for every kilowatt of energy used to run the heat pump, over 4kW of energy is being given to the heating system in return.
To view the performance data of Grant heat pumps, please download the data sheet here.
An air source heat pump appliance itself burns no fossil fuels and uses electricity. With more and more of the electricity generation in the UK now being produced via renewables, this makes a heat pump a better choice for the environment than gas boilers.
Grant heat pumps are user-friendly being both straightforward to control and simple to maintain. When an installer sets up and commissions a heat pump, they will set the core parameters of the system so that the end-user has minimal interaction with the controls. Thereafter, the homeowner can adjust their desired room temperatures via third-party controls, which may be app enabled, and they can sit back and enjoy their renewable system. The only thing to remember is to arrange the annual servicing of the heat pump.
Disadvantages & considerations of heat pumps
1. Increased electricity
usageAs mentioned above, heat pumps do need electricity in order to work so if you install a heat pump, you will likely see an increase in your electricity usage. It is recommended that homeowners contact their energy supplier to see if a heat pump electricity tariff is available which may be a cheaper and more suitable tariff for an electric based renewable heating system.
A term you will often hear of with heat pumps is &#;low temperature system&#;. Unlike boilers which are high temperature systems, a heat pump operates at a lower flow temperature so to ensure that this heat can be effectively transferred into the space within the home, sufficient heat emitter surface area is needed and this is why correctly sizing the heat emitters is so important. It is not always possible to use existing radiators with a new heat pump as larger radiators, or an underfloor heating system, may be better suited.
Compared to traditional boiler replacements, a heat pump installation requires significantly more planning and preparation. The design of the system must be thoroughly completed with a detailed heat loss calculation carried out on the property to ensure it is well insulated, as well as a correct assessment of the heat pump output required and the correct sizing of the chosen heat emitters.
Ensuring your property is well insulated is key for an effective heat pump. We recommend as a minimum checking your loft, cavity wall and window insulation. You can find out more on our blog &#; how to prepare your home for a heat pump.
It is important that no corners are cut during the design phase to ensure that the system installed is the right one to meet the heat demand of the property most effectively and efficiently.
Provided the unit is installed correctly, adhering to all the do&#;s and don&#;ts which are detailed in our heat pump brochure, a heat pump will deliver years of reliable, sustainable home heating.
Homeowners need to be well informed about heat pumps so if you are interested in learning more about this renewable technology, visit our Knowledge Hub.
If you are interested in learning more about air source heat pumps, you may be interested in taken a listen to our Net Zero Heating Show podcast. The podcast is aimed at installers and heating professionals but homeowners looking to learn more about this renewable technology will also find it an interesting listen.
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