As the weather starts to turn colder and we cover up with a blanket while watching television and encourage our  children to put on a sweater rather than turn up the heat, thoughts turn to ways to manage the temperature in our homes. While energy expenses can be trimmed by tweaking efficiencies, you can take it a step farther and install a heat pump, which is a highly efficient device that can provide both heating and cooling comfort.

Heat pumps move heat from one place to another. Air source heat pumps are electric appliances that provide  heating and cooling by moving heat into a home for heating and out of a home for cooling. They do not create heat like other heating systems. Although heat pumps have been around for years, there seems to be quite a few
misconceptions and myths.

MYTH: Heat pumps don’t work well in Illinois, because it gets too cold in the winter. In climates, like Illinois, heat pumps shine because their heat source comes from the earth’s constant temperature instead of the outside air temperature. True, the efficiency does decline as the temperature goes down. Heat pump efficiency is impressive and always better than most other heating system.

MYTH: Heat pumps seem to run all the time. If your heat pump is properly sized and set at a comfortable  temperature for your home, it will run continuously until it meets the needs you set at the thermostat, that’s how it works. The colder the temperature, the more your heat pump will run. A heat pump is than an alternative source that must create heat first before it can move it into your home. A heat pump doesn’t make heat, it just moves it from one place to another.

MYTH: Heat pumps are noisy. Back in the days, when heat pumps were just emerging on the market, they were bulky, unattractive and quite noisy. Today, heat pumps integrate the latest technologies in terms of noise  reduction and energy efficiency enhancements. A heat pump is about as noisy as a refrigerator. The noise is the fan pulling air through the system.

MYTH: Heat pumps are expensive to purchase and install. Although there are upfront costs associated with a heat pump and installation, a heat pump can actually save you money on your energy bill by up to 30 percent on heating costs when compared to a gas furnace and year-round comfort. Unlike gas furnaces, a high-efficiency
electric heat pump can provide a continuous flow of heat and even temperatures for your entire home.

Prices vary based on the size of your home and the type of heat pump you are installing. You will want to conduct a heat loss and heat gain survey on your home prior to installing a heat pump. In the evaluation process the following will be considered: the size and age of your home, insulation, duct work, and the number, size and location of all windows.

The Eastern Illini website provides an easy to use heating cost analysis tool that gives you a rough estimate as to how “tight” or efficient your home is. Take a moment to evaluate your home at: https://www.eiec.org/efficiency/hca/

As old man winter comes knocking on your door, now might be a  good time to consider the advantages of a heat pump for your home