If your old and outdated boiler or furnace barely limped through winter then you’re probably thinking about investing in a new heating system. Now might be the perfect time to think about investing in a hybrid heating and cooling system so you can benefit from having a cool and comfortable home during the spring and summer months. Hybrid heating and cooling systems give you the best of both worlds as they use a combination of fuels to increase their efficiency, enabling you to benefit from greater energy savings. This means during the warmer months your hybrid heating system will use an electric heat pump, while during the colder months it will sometimes rely on a furnace. Hybrid heating and cooling systems are able to switch between the two energy sources depending on the outside temperature.
Will a Hybrid Heating and Cooling System Cost More to Install?
The short answer to this is yes, as a hybrid heating and cooling system will cost a little more than a conventional heating system. However the additional cost is probably well worth spending when you consider what you’ll get for your money. Using a combination of different systems to heat and cool your home will give you the greatest energy efficiency and energy savings, something that is well worth considering in a time of high energy prices. Electric heat pumps are very efficient to run and are relatively cheap as they simply extract heat that is already present in the air outside the home, reversing the system during the warmer months of spring and summer to cool down the home. Hybrid systems have a temperature switching point whereby they will switch between the two technologies used to heat or cool a home. The switching point can be set by the user and depends on their level of home comfort. This technology ensures a furnace is not used until it’s absolutely necessary, and it’s far more environmentally friendly as it helps to reduce the use of fossil fuels and to reduce wasted energy.
What is the Difference between an Electric Heat Pump and a Gas Furnace?
It’s most likely that your hybrid heating and cooling system will use a combination of an electric heat pump and a natural gas furnace. A natural gas furnace produces heat through combustion, and gas is burned to produce heat that is then absorbed by the heat exchanger to produce hot air that is forced through the ductwork of a home. An electric heat pump works in quite a different way, extracting heat in the air from the outside for use inside, while reversing the process during spring and summer when the system is used as an air conditioning unit. While an electric heat pump obviously relies on just electricity for its operations, a natural gas furnace relies on both gas and electricity, as electricity is required to push the air through the ductwork for distribution throughout the home.
Heat Pumps Work Harder for You
While your furnace will lie unused during spring and summer, your heat pump is likely to be used year-round for both heating and cooling. It is an extremely hard-working and efficient piece of equipment.
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