Is the Best Heat Pump a Good Choice?

The heat pump is an air conditioner, which can heat and cool your house. One simple explanation is that the best heat pump will extract heat that is found in air or ground outside your home and will transfer that heat in your house in its place. Under the exact conditions it will do this considerably more cheaply than gas or oil furnace.

Consider the following questions while buying the best heat pump:

• Is heat pump a best choice -- or it would be better buying furnace and central air conditioner?


• What is the perfect size that you should buy?


• What is the efficiency, also how efficient should your pump be?


• Which brand name is best for your house?


• Who must install it?

As the best heat pump can heat and cool your house, do not buy a one then buy a central air conditioner. In addition, would you rather have a single device to buy, install as well as maintain than both central air conditioner and furnace? While the answer can be easy, you must consider some factors.

Seasonal weather in your area is probably the most significant factor in this preference. If temperature hardly ever dips under 40 degrees Fahrenheit, then you can most likely heat your house affordably with a heat pump than a furnace. However, if the temperature is colder, then you must consider having a backup heat source. Many people select a gas or an oil furnace to serve up this purpose -- for reasons of price and because the furnace will keep temperatures warm when the temperature outside and inside increases.

Second, the best heat pumps are normally a little more expensive than central air conditioners of same efficiency and capacity. For instance, at one direct to consumer retailer, 1.5 ton, and 13 SEER Rheem pump retails for $100 more than an equivalent 13 SEER Rheem air conditioner. The contractors may charge more to install the unit than the central air conditioner.

The third criterion to think of is longevity. As the central air conditioner is usually used only during summer months, and the best heat pumps are used during summer and winter, the lifespan of the pump is usually shorter than of central air conditioner. The maintenance costs are usually higher also, since compressor, controls as well as other components can run more months out of a year.