Choose the Right Heating Equipment for Your Home
Cedar Falls Utilities offers cost-sharing rebates to assist customers when new heating ventilation or air conditioning (HVAC) equipment is needed.
While natural gas furnaces remain the popular choice to heat houses in Iowa heat pumps are an efficient option worth looking into when choosing new heating equipment for your home.
A standard furnace uses natural gas to fuel a flame heating air that is then blown through the house via a network of ducts. This method produces one unit of heat per one unit of fuel meaning it will never exceed 100 percent efficiency.
Heat pumps run on electricity and use the unique heat-exchange capabilities of refrigerant to move heat energy from the cold air outside or the ground and then distribute it in your home. A heat pump is able to achieve 300 percent energy efficiency helping you heat your home with less energy.
A heat pump can also cool your home by extracting heat energy from the inside air and expelling it outdoors.
However there are some things to take into account when considering a heat pump. When outside air temperatures reach below freezing a heat pump may have difficulty.
Most heat pumps are equipped with a backup electric heating strip. However this can impede your efficiency savings as it is similar to heating your entire home with an electric space heater.
Hybrid systems are a good option for those reluctant to give up the reliability of a gas furnace.
Hybrid systems have a dual-fuel system; a heat pump to be used as a primary heat source with a gas furnace as a backup option for when temperatures plummet.
When choosing the right heating equipment for your home it is important to look at the complete life cycle cost. A heat pump may be a more expensive up-front investment but can save you money in your utility costs.
Calculate total utility bill savings and cost-sharing rebates when considering the extra cost of a heat pump.
Contact your preferred HVAC contractor for more information about the available options and cost for your house.
For a full list of CFU cost-sharing rebates and details visit cfu.net/rebates.
For a great explanation of how a heat pump works watch plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey with This Old House in the video below.