Heat Pumps: Along With Advanced Features And Efficiency Ratings, Consider These 4 Factors

When buying a residential heat pump, the features and efficiency ratings of the unit are two of the most important things that you must consider. These will greatly determine the performance and energy consumption of the unit. A professional HVAC company can help you identify the right heater to install.

However, the feature and efficiency of the units are not the only things to consider. The overall performance of the unit is also determined by factors not related to the unit itself. Some of these factors, which you should consider include:

1. Get a heat pump that comes with a control that allows you defrost it on demand. Frost increases the energy that the pump uses, therefore increasing your costs. With the control, you can increase the efficiency of the pump by defrosting on demand.
2. The efficiency of the heat pump may be affected by location where it is installed. A unit installed directly on the path of high winds may not work efficiently as the winds can cause defrosting problems. Therefore, make sure the unit is installed behind a natural or artificial wind barrier. You can have the unit installed where there is a fence or bush that will block high winds from reaching it.
3. Keep in mind the amount of noise that will be produced by the heat pump’s compressors and fans when it will be running. The outdoor unit should be located away from nearby buildings. Ask an experienced heat pump installation company for the ideal outside sound ratings of a residential heat pump. You can also mount the unit in a sound-proof base to further reduce the noise.
4. If you are adding the unit to an electric furnace, ensure that the manner in which it is installed will make it efficient. The unit’s coil should be placed on the cold side of the electric furnace to ensure efficiency.

For information on selecting an efficient and cost-saving heat pump, contact Paschal Air, Heat& Geothermal.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about heat pumps and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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