If it’s time to replace your home’s heating system, you may want to consider a heat pump. In areas like Yuma with mild winters and hot summers, heat pumps can provide an energy-efficient alternative to traditional furnaces and air conditioners. The best thing about a heat pump is that it provides both efficient cooling and heating in the same system.
How Do Heat Pumps Work?
The most common variety, the air-source heat pump, doesn’t generate heat from fuel, but simply moves heat from
one area to another, by exploiting the effective heat-exchange properties of refrigerant. During winter, it provides heat by moving heat energy from outside air into your home. During summer, it creates cool air by removing heat from inside your home to the outdoors. If you’re looking for energy efficiency and solid performance at an affordable cost, this is a great option.
Other Types of Heat Pumps
- Absorption heat pumps – also called gas-fired heat pumps, absorption heat pumps are air-source heat pumps powered by propane, natural gas, or solar or geothermal-heated water. They use an ammonia-water absorption cycle to provide heating and cooling but are not well suited for the climate here in the southwest
- Ductless mini-split heat pumps – if you don’t have a central HVAC system, ductless mini-split systems are a good option since they don’t require ductwork. They also work well for home additions where ductwork isn’t possible. They provide independent temperature control to small areas or rooms, and one outside condensing unit can serve several indoor air handlers.
- Geothermal heat pumps – geothermal heat pumps use the latent heat underground (or underwater) as the heat source in winter and receptacle during the cooling season. Since ground temperatures remain constant and moderate, they provide heating and cooling more efficiently than air-source heat pumps though at a much higher installation cost.
Before selecting a heat pump, check the Energy Guide label for efficiency performance ratings. In our warm region, cooling efficiency, as measured by SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio), is a more important metric than heating efficiency. Look for a SEER of 16 or above for the best energy savings.
For more information and expert advice on a heat pump for your Southwest Arizona home, please contact us at Hansberger Refrigeration and Electric. We’ve proudly provided HVAC services for Yuma area homeowners since 1952.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Yuma, Arizona about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about heat pumps and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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