Heat pumps act as both a heating and cooling system inhomes, all whilesaving you moneyand decreasing yourcarbon footprint.
Heat pumps are becoming increasingly commonas homeowners and builders look for more efficient methods to heat and cool buildings.
States and cities around the country are also incentivizing homeowners to adopt them.
All heat pumps are not the same.
What is a heat pump?
To pick the best heat pump for your property, you’ll need to understand what it is.
“The back of it gets hot and the inside gets cool,” he said.
A refrigerator, for comparison, only works in one direction: moving warm air outside.
They can be categorized in two primary ways, depending on the specifics of the building.
One way is to group them into “ducted” or “ductless” heat pumps.
If a home has air ducts,“air-source” heat pumpsare generally the most common bang out.
Geothermal heat pumps may be better for homes in areas with more extreme climates or wider temperature fluctuations.
They do cost more to install because a backhoe is likely going to be required.
“Geothermal would be much more expensive because of the digging and drilling,” Dika said.
Geothermal heat pumps alsoqualify for federal tax credits, on a variable scale depending on when they’re installed.
Absorption heat pumps
Absorption heat pumpsare, in effect, air-source heat pumps.
These are less common than other types of heat pumps.
Check with your installer and with an accountant to verify if they’ll qualify for federal tax credits.
It’s difficult to say how much a heat pump system will cost.
For instance,Oregon has a specific programfor landlords interested in installing heat pumps in rental units.
As always, it’s best to see what local incentives and credits might be available to you.
