A couple of years ago, I decided to add a central cooling system to my home.
I already had a furnace installed but was tired of struggling with the summer heat and humidity.
Window air conditioners block the view from the window and are a hassle to install in the spring and remove at the end of the summer. Fans don’t work very well to provide a cool environment. In my local area, we experience every type of weather extreme. Along with summer temperatures in the high eighties, there are sub zero conditions in the winter. When I scheduled a free estimate from an HVAC contractor, he recommended a heat pump rather than an air conditioner. Although a heat pump is quite a bit more expensive than an air conditioner, it provides both heating and cooling capacity. Combining a heat pump with a natural gas furnace is called a dual fuel system. In cooling mode, the heat pump operates similarly to a conventional air conditioner. The big advantage is that when the outdoor weather cools off, the system switches over to heating mode. It works by pulling ambient heat out of the air and transferring it indoors. Because there is no combustion process, there’s no concern with fumes, carbon monoxide or any greenhouse gasses. Heat pumps are wonderfully clean, safe and environmentally responsible. They are also especially energy efficient. It costs a lot less to operate the heat pump than the furnace. We can rely on the heat pump for the majority of the year. When the outdoor temperature drops below freezing, it struggles to manage demand. At that point, the furnace automatically starts up, takes over and provides comfort.