Can Heat Pumps Reduce Your Carbon Footprint?

Yes. As an extremely energy-efficient solution for heating and cooling your living spaces, heat pumps are arguably the greenest temperature control method currently available. The lower electricity use required to run a heat pump isn’t the only reason why mini-split heat pumps are especially useful for minimizing your home’s carbon footprint.

Target Your Heating and Cooling Expenditures

Any central air system, including heat pumps connected to ductwork, is somewhat wasteful from a design perspective.

Studies examining where most Americans spend their time at home are eye-opening. According to researchers at UCLA, people spend most of their time around televisions, in the kitchen, or their bedroom. Families with dining rooms, unused bedrooms, or separate living rooms and family rooms have a lot of square footage they rarely visit.

While that study was primarily focused on the average family’s space use, it also holds valuable lessons for heating and cooling. If your family is only living in 40 percent of your home, the energy you’re using to heat or cool the other 60 percent is essentially wasted.

Mini-split heat pumps allow you to target your heating and cooling in the rooms where you’re living. Making it a fundamentally more efficient method than whole-home systems that heat or cool every room, even the ones you aren’t using.

If you’re trying to decide how to lower your heating or cooling costs, or you’re interested in improving the efficiency of your home, ask yourself how much of your home needs full-time temperature control.

Heat Pumps Are Mechanically More Energy Efficient

From an operational perspective, heat pumps are more efficient than just about any other form of heating or cooling. A heat pump transfers – or pumps – warmer or colder temperatures through heat transference. While other heating solutions burn fuel to generate heat, heat pumps transfer it from the outside to the inside. Even during a cold Maine night, your heat pump can still use the super-cold refrigerant in the compressor to pull heat from the comparatively warm outdoor air without relying on combustion or electric heating elements.

No Duct Leaks or Temperature Loss Through Ducts

Ductwork is a weakness in many central air systems. They’re prone to leaks, especially at seams, and the heated or cooled air in the ducts can shed or accumulate degrees while traveling through the ducts. If ductwork runs through poorly insulated parts of a home, like an attic, it could be exposed to cold or hot temperatures that chip away at its efficiency.

Reduce the Fuel Consumption of Your Central Heating System

Central air heating or cooling and zoned mini-split heat pumps are not necessarily mutually exclusive. You can install both in your home and use mini-split heat pumps to heat or cool living areas to a comfortable temperature. This allows you to set your HVAC system to a lower temperature during the winter.

Just because you don’t enter your spare bedrooms or dining room frequently doesn’t mean you want those rooms to be freezing cold during the winter. Supplementing an HVAC system in your home with zoned heat pumps in occupied rooms allows you to control your energy use precisely.

You’ll spend far less on heating fuel or electricity to heat your home to a comfortable temperature. The targeted heating or cooling you’re getting through your heat pumps will require less energy.

Learn More About the Convenience and Efficiency of Mini-Split Heat Pumps in Bangor

There are many reasons our team at Valley Home Services recommends heat pumps to customers looking for energy-efficient heating and cooling in the Bangor area:

• These ultra-efficient temperature control devices can save Maine households up to 50 percent on their heating costs
• They’re approximately twice as efficient as window-mounted air conditioners
• Many of our customers have told us they hardly notice an increase in their utility bills during warm months when they’re running their heat pump in cooling mode.
• You’ll also save time and money on upkeep and repair costs since heat pumps generally don’t require a lot of maintenance.
• Unlike wood or pellet stoves, you can leave a heat pump on while you’re away.

If you’re interested in an energy-efficient heating or cooling solution for your home in Maine, contact Valley Home Services at (800) 316-7815. We’d be happy to provide a free consultation.