My First Winter With a Heat Pump

Now that I have had a heat pump for about 4 months, I am writing this follow up to my article: Before you buy or replace your furnace or AC, consider a heat pump.  I am glad to have made the purchase, but it has come with several challenges – some of which have nothing to do with it being a heat pump.  I want to share my lessons learned in this article.  Due to delays, I will not report on my heat pump’s performance at this time.  I do believe it will save money over time, and I am extremely happy to be burning less fossil fuel in heating my home. 

Stick with one brand

Probably the most important lesson for me here is – if you are going to utilize ‘communicating’ HVAC (Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) components, which are common in higher-end units, try to stick with one brand.  This could be the case whether you are adding A/C,  a heat pump, or a furnace.  Communicating equipment utilize proprietary communications between the components.  I lost some features when I interfaced a Lennox heat pump with a Trane furnace.  As well, my new Nest thermostats, although quite advanced, cannot handle proprietary controls like the variable fan speed I enjoyed with my Trane thermostat.  Future service may also be easier with a single brand.  All that said, if you save enough money, you may be willing to give up a feature or two.

Zoned heating and cooling system can make a big difference

Heat pump or not, for a home with temperature differentials, such as between the floors of a 2-story home, a zoned system can provide big benefits for both heating and cooling.   For example, I scheduled the upstairs heat to come on first in the morning and found that the upstairs zone only runs for a short time in the morning and never again for the rest of the day.  The house temperature stays much more uniform.  This has the additional benefit of allowing the heat to remain on downstairs at night, while remaining off for sleeping upstairs. 

I expect to gain a similar, inverse benefit in the summer.  I now believe that zoning alone will make a significant reduction in my heating and cooling energy consumption.  Unfortunately,  I will not be able to separate that savings from the savings of the heat pump. 

Noise

A question I often get is ‘how loud is your heat pump?’.  Referring to exterior noise, I say ‘about as loud as an air conditioner’.  Just like an A/C condenser, the fan needs to move a lot of air.  But there is a big difference in the volume of different models, and everyone has heard the shrieking of A/C compressors in poor repair.   My unit is rated at 74dB and is about 2 feet from my office window.  With the window closed I barely hear it, but it is a dual-pane window.  For guidance, I would suggest locating a heat pump similar to an AC condenser.  You would not want it too close to windows that could be open and bother people – although that’s more likely to cause a problem in the summer than winter.