If you don’t have ductwork in your home, heat pumps, also called ductless mini-splits, can be a cost-effective way to add air conditioning to your home without the expense and hassle of installing ductwork for central A/C.
In fact, our customers love how heat pumps allow for more energy-efficient cooling than window air conditioning units—and allow you to zone your cooling for even better efficiency.
But conversely, how well do heat pumps work for keeping homes in the Delmarva region warm, safe, and comfortable in the winter? This is an important question to ask, as there is a movement to convert homes to electricity for home heating in the misguided idea that it will be more environmentally friendly than using propane or heating oil.
A heat pump can function nearly seamlessly in chilly fall weather. However, once the winter season arrives, there is the potential for issues. When frigid weather arrives, a heat pump will be much less capable of accomplishing the task of heating your home.
Heat pumps can only heat air to about 98˚ Fahrenheit. They need to work harder and for a longer period than both heating oil- or propane-fired furnaces and boilers to heat your home, and they must cycle on more frequently in order to maintain that desired temperature.
The colder it gets, the more energy your heat pump must consume to keep your home warm. Finally, when your heat pump can no longer pull enough warmth from the environment to keep your home warm, it will need an auxiliary heating source such as an electric heater. When this happens, your energy bills run the risk of being blown sky-high.
Furnaces and boilers can keep your home warm with much better efficiency and lower costs.
Whether you use heating oil or propane to heat your home, Poore’s Propane provides expert installation, maintenance, and repair of your furnace or boiler. We also offer affordable service plans that help keep your heating system running at its best efficiency while shielding you from potentially big repair bills.
Additionally, we’ll also help you avoid poor heating when outdoor conditions reach temperatures that are cold enough to decrease heat pump efficiency. Contact us today to learn more about the installation of backup heating options—or replacement systems—to provide your household with reliable heating, no matter how cold it gets outside this winter!
Upgrade to high-efficiency home heating with Poore’s Propane! Contact us today to get started.
