If you own a home here in Wingham, ON, you should already appreciate how important its HVAC system is. With summer highs of 26°C or more and winter lows that hover near -11°C, you couldn’t live here without it. However, you probably don’t love the often-exorbitant energy bills that come with using your HVAC.
For that reason, there’s a good chance you’ve gone looking for a more efficient HVAC at least once. When you did, you may have considered a heat pump, owing to their impressively high energy efficiency. If you didn’t purchase one, you may have missed out on some benefits you didn’t consider. To elaborate, here are seven major advantages offered by modern heat pumps.
Unbeatable Energy Efficiency
The most important advantage offered by modern heat pumps is their extraordinary energy efficiency. The average heat pump on the market today has a seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) of 14. However, it isn’t difficult to find models with SEER ratings of 20 or higher.
Heat pumps are even more efficient when operating in heating mode. Depending on the outside temperature, a modern air-source heat pump can run at up to 400% efficiency.
Excellent Cold-Weather Operation
One of the biggest drawbacks associated with older heat pumps was their inability to function effectively at low outside temperatures. Those older systems would often struggle to produce adequate heat as soon as it hit freezing outside.
Today’s cold-climate heat pumps work quite well at even extremely low temperatures. Many models remain effective down to -26°C, and some even lower than that. Plus, modern heat pumps retain most of their efficiency at low temperatures. That’s important because it means you can still save money on heating even if we get a prolonged cold snap.
Single System Year-Round Comfort
Another advantage of modern heat pumps is that they offer year-round comfort from a single system. Conventional HVAC equipment is typically comprised of an AC system and a furnace that’s connected by a single blower unit. That means you have two separate systems to maintain and twice as many parts that could fail. With a heat pump, the same equipment provides heating and cooling.
Improved Environmental Friendliness
It is also true that heat pumps are more environmentally friendly than other HVAC options. For one thing, they don’t directly consume fossil fuels. That stands in stark contrast to something like a gas furnace, which relies on combustion to provide heat. With that kind of system, your HVAC emits carbon into the environment, which exacerbates the effects of climate change. Heat pumps, however, only use electricity to operate. That means you can pair them with renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and hydropower.
Also, modern heat pumps rely on refrigerants that aren’t as damaging to the environment when released. Whereas conventional HVAC systems often use refrigerants like R-410A, most modern heat pumps don’t. They use newer, safer refrigerants like R-32 and R-454B.
Superior Indoor Air Quality
Modern heat pumps also do an excellent job of improving a home’s indoor air quality. This is because they tend to run at low speeds for extended periods. Older heat pumps and conventional HVAC systems usually only operate at a single, high speed. Running for longer periods gives modern heat pumps more opportunity to filter your home’s air.
More Even Heating and Cooling
Another advantage offered by modern heat pumps is that they produce more even heating and cooling than conventional HVAC systems. This, again, is a function of the way heat pumps operate. With a conventional HVAC system, your thermostat calls for heating or cooling when needed. That triggers your HVAC to turn on and operate at full blast until reaching your desired temperature.
Modern heat pumps, on the other hand, come on to reach your desired temperature but stay on to hold it. They do this by slowing down their blower fan and compressor to operate at lower capacity. This not only saves you energy but helps keep your home’s temperature stable.
Quiet Operation
Finally, modern heat pumps also offer quieter operation than older heat pumps or conventional HVAC. This is again due to their ability to run at multiple speeds. Inside your home, you’re less likely to hear your heat pump running because of its low operating blower fan speed. Outside your home, your heat pump will also be far quieter than a conventional system. This is due to the use of inverter and variable-speed compressor technology.
Your Local Heat Pump Specialists
If you like all of the modern heat pump advantages we’ve listed here, you may want one as your next HVAC system. When the day comes for an HVAC replacement for your Wingham home, Montgomery Industrial Services can help. We’ve served the area since 1992, offering quality HVAC services like installation, repair, and maintenance. So, if you want a new heat pump for your home in Wingham, contact the experts at Montgomery Industrial Services today!
