New Air Conditioning or Heat Pump?

One of the questions we are often asked is “should I install air conditioning and a furnace, or just install a heat pump?”

The basic difference between a heat pump and an air conditioner is that heat pumps can both cool and heat your home. An air conditioner is slightly more efficient at cooling, but if you live in an area where the temperature doesn’t drop below 40 degrees – a heat pump may be the best choice for you.

Of course there are those rare occasions when the weather does get unusually cold – even here in Sarasota. For example, back in 1983 the temperature actually dropped to 20 degrees. But normally there are few days in the winter when you’ll need to turn the heat on, and a heat pump will be more than sufficient for this task.
If you live in an area where the temperature often drops below 40 degrees, or if you just want the security of a furnace, you may choose to add a heater as your primary heating source.

The advantage of using a heat pump is that it draws heat from the air outside your home and transfers it to the inside of your home which makes a heat pump substantially less expensive to operate than a gas or oil furnace. So if the weather rarely falls below 40 degrees you will be able to heat your home much more affordably with a heat pump than by using a furnace. If the temperature is frequently colder than 40 degrees you may want to consider a backup furnace.

So is a heat pump right for you? Generally a heat pump is slightly more expensive than a central air conditioner, and they may cost a little more to install and maintain. Overall however, a high efficiency heat pump will save you much money in heating and cooling bills.

If you are considering replacing your old system, or if you are interested in learning more about heat pumps and if one would be a good choice for you, please call Sean McCutcheon’s Air Conditioning and Heating, Inc. at 941-921-7208.

Sarasota Air Conditioning Repair, Service, And Maintenance