Air-source heat pumps are an efficient alternative to gas-powered furnaces that can save energy and lower your heating bills. However, when the temperatures drop below freezing, standard models begin losing their heating efficiency. At this point, the heat pump will switch over to electric resistance heating, which is expensive. This is fine for warmer climates, but what are you supposed to do if you want to save energy during our cold Ohio winter nights? Fortunately, there’s an alternative. A dual-fuel system can bring you the best of both worlds, keeping you warm in the sub-freezing weather, but still saving you energy.
A dual-fuel system uses both a heat pump and a gas furnace for maximum efficiency. In mildly cold temperatures, the heat pump uses refrigerant to reverse the natural flow of heat, absorbing warmth from the outside air and transferring it to the air in your house. Since it doesn’t burn fossil fuels to create heat, it’s one of the more energy-efficient heat sources available.
Then, when the weather gets too cold for the heat pump to work efficiently, your dual-fuel system will switch over to the regular, gas-burning furnace to produce heat. For most heat pumps, this happens at around 30 degrees, though advances in technology allow some newer models to operate at much lower temperatures. But whatever the cutoff point is, your heat pump will go to sleep and your furnace will begin burning fossil fuels to keep you warm. If you have a high-efficiency furnace, you’l save even more.
Between the two heat sources, a dual-fuel system can operate more efficiently than either system would separately. What’s more, a heat pump can also benefit you in the summer. Replace your old A/C unit with a new heat pump, and it will keep you cool just like a regular air conditioner. Then in the winter, it can work together with your furnace, keeping you comfortable while saving you money and energy.
To learn more about energy-saving options this winter, contact our experts at Ace Hardware Home Services, Inc. Our full-service HVAC company has provided three generations of quality HVAC solutions to the Dayton area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Dayton, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about duel-fuel systems and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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