Heat Pumps (air source)
Heat Pumps provide both heating and cooling. They save on greenhouse gas emissions over oil, electric baseboard heating, natural gas, and propane. They are cheaper to operate than oil, electric baseboard, and propane. They are about the same cost as natural gas. Image: neep.org
Resident or business in Haverford Township? get heLP
1. Read this linked article
2. Glossary of definitions
3. Do you need a backup system?
If your home is insulated and major air leaks sealed then you will likely feel comfortable with a cold climate heat pump down to single digits. For the times that we dip down to 0 deg F or below, the addition of an electric resistance strip heater added to the air handler will be sufficient to heat the home without the need for fossil fuels. Even though electrical resistance heaters (electric baseboard above) are not an efficient way to heat, the Philadelphia region averages 0.2 days/year below 0 deg F. This means that almost all* of your heating would be done with the most efficient heating (in terms of emissions) and only a very small amount of days with a resistance heater.
*Depends also on your set back temperatures.
4. Watch a recording of or attend a Heat Pumps 101 workshop
The Haverford Township EAC gives periodic workshops titled "Heat Pumps 101." You can register for the workshops on the Haverford Recreation website. Upcoming workshops are advertised on the home page of this website.
5. Get quotes from a few contractors
You can utilize the preferred dealer list in the article above to find contractors for some of the top brand heat pumps. Make sure to ask for the part number of the equipment they are quoting for you.
6. Check out the specs on the equipment quoted
Assuming the system is sized correctly, check out the heating capacity of the unit at different temperatures down to 5 deg F on the Heat Pump List on NEEP.org. website.
7. Have questions?
Contact havswitch@gmail.com