All you need to know about Air Source Heat Pumps:
1. Are heat pumps effective in New England temperatures?
Heat pumps used to mainly be seen in the Mid-Atlantic or Southern states, but thanks to Mitsubishi Electric’s dramatic improvements in the low-temperature performance of their extensive line of heat pumps systems, they are being rapidly adopted in the Northeast. The latest generation of heat pumps can provide heating to temps as low as -17° Fahrenheit, making them quite capable of handling most of the coldest days and nights in New England.
2. How do heat pumps work?
Air source heat pumps work by extracting heat from the outside air using a reverse refrigeration cycle. Very simply, heat pumps take heat from the outside air and move it inside, rather than directly heating that indoor air. In the summer, the process is again reversed and removes the heat from inside a home or business.
3. How efficient are air source heat pumps?
Heat pumps use electricity to extract heat from the outside air by reverse refrigeration, hence “air source.” They leverage the heat outside and move it into your home, rather than directly heating the indoor air. By moving heat, instead of making it, the heat pump can heat or cool a space up to 2-3x more efficiently than other electric heating/cooling equipment.
4. How much does it cost to operate an air source heat pumps?
Heat Pumps convert outside air into heat or cooling using electricity, which ranges in price in our region (New England) up to 21 cents per kilowatt-hour, depending on your utility. That’s the equivalent of paying roughly $2.30/gallon of heating oil – an improvement versus the status quo for sure. Even better, when you combine that heat pump with the locked-in lower rates of solar electricity, that price comes down to 8 cents per kilowatt-hour or roughly $0.84/gallon of heating oil.
5. What kind of heat pump does ReVision Energy recommend?
We know Mitsubishi Electric’s products inside and out and we are certain of their ability to reliably provide comfort through all of the highs and lows that New England throws their way. As a result of our expertise and experience installing their products, we are trusted Mitsubishi Elite Diamond Contractors and because of that, their heat pumps come with an industry-leading 12-year part and compressor warranty on single-family, residential installations, and a 5-year parts and 7-year compressor warranty on multi-family and commercial installations.
6. What is a “solar-powered heat pump”?
A solar-powered heat pump simply is an air source heat pump that is powered by the sun! Heat pumps are efficient, but the cost to run that heat pump is ultimately determined by power grid rates. By combining the low operating cost of a heat pump with the locked-in lower rates of solar electricity you have what we call a solar-powered heat pump.
