If you’re in a position to choose the mode of heating you’d like for a new home, or you’d like to heat more efficiently, you may be considering whether your home needs a heat pump, furnace or both. Heat pumps and furnaces both have their advantages, and having both offers advantages as well.
Heat Pump Advantages
Heats pumps are powered by electricity, without a need for gas lines. They can cool and heat. They move heat out of a house in the summer by absorbing it in refrigerant and exhausting it outdoors. Reverse a valve in winter, and heat is moved into the house by absorbing it from outdoor air or the ground.
The heat pump comes with many advantages. They’re quiet and efficient, doing the job of providing a cooler or warmer environment with savings of as much as 40 percent over gas. They’re also considered most suitable for regions like ours with mild winters. Heat pumps require an auxiliary source of heating when the weather dips below freezing. Because our winter temperatures are seldom below freezing, a heat pump can usually handle the job.
Furnace Advantages
Natural gas is inexpensive right now, so heating with a furnace follows suit. If you’re having a furnace installed and your home has access to gas lines, you’ll have the benefit of choosing one with a high-efficiency rating.
Furnaces are considered reliable, usually with little maintenance beyond changing the air filter when it’s dirty and making sure the furnace is serviced yearly. If you already have air conditioning, the furnace can use the same ductwork.
Why Not Both?
Sometimes homeowners opt for both a gas furnace and heat pump when they install dual fuel or hybrid systems. This option allows homeowners to enjoy the efficiency of the heat pump until temperatures plunge, and then have the comfort and reliability of a furnace when it’s colder and auxiliary heat is needed.
For more information on installing a heat pump, furnace or both, contact the experts at McDevitt Air. We’ve served the Savannah area for more than 35 years.
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