Want to Boost Your Home’s Heating and Cooling? Consider a Heat Pump.

You can safely assume that heat pumps can effectively warm up your home—but did you know that they also provide air conditioning and superior humidity control? As such, heat pumps are a great way to heat and cool your home. The heat pump does not use natural gas and can be a better alternative to a gas heating system, depending on certain factors.

Heat pumps are very energy efficient and can give you heat up to 75 degrees when it’s minus 13 degrees outside. They work by moving heat rather than generating it, so they can heat and cool for significantly less cost than other systems, such as furnaces and central air conditioners. During the heating season, a heat pump moves heat from the cool outdoors into your home; during the cooling season, it transfers heat from your house to the warm outdoors.

There are three main types of heat pumps: air source, water source, and geothermal. As their names imply, they collect heat from air, water, or the ground outside and concentrate it for use inside.

Geothermal heat pumps
Compared to a conventional heating and cooling system, geothermal heat pumps can cut your home’s energy costs by 25 percent to 50 percent—PLUS they are quiet, long- lasting, and very low-maintenance. But if that sounds a little too good to be true, it’s because it is. Geothermal is not practical for small lots, certain soil conditions, and small budgets, costing several times that of an air-source system ($20,000 to $25,000).

Water source heat pumps
Residential water source heat pumps rely on a body of water (like a lake, river or well) to work, using a system of pipes laid out at the bottom of that body of water to exchange heat. These systems are generally used as closed-loop systems in commercial buildings, are compatible with geothermal technology, and are very energy efficient.

Air source heat pumps
These are the most commonly installed type of heat pump. They have two units: an indoor air handler and an outdoor heat pump. A refrigerant, which circulates between the two units through tubing, absorbs and releases heat as it moves back and forth. New air source heat pumps can reduce your heating costs by about 50 percent over electric furnaces and baseboard heaters according to Consumer Reports.

Mini-split ductless systems are a type of air source heat pumps and are a smart way to regulate the temperature in different parts of your home exactly as you wish. They consist of two main parts: an outdoor compressor or condenser paired with an indoor air-handling unit. They are low profile, can be installed anywhere without construction and ductwork, and provide benefit of both heating and air conditioning with efficiency. In recent years, these systems have become quite popular for several reasons:

Efficiency. Mini-split systems tend to be exceptionally more efficient than typical central split systems. Many boast high Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) ratings, with a usual range from 18 SEER all the way up to an amazing 30 SEER! That can translate to substantial energy bill savings over the years.

Zone climate control. Multi-zone mini-split systems allow you to keep each zone at a different temperature, giving you the power to control the temperatures throughout your house easily and more efficiently than ever.

No ductwork. Instead of ducts, mini-split ductless systems use small copper line sets to run the refrigerant to the indoor units. This allows you to place your air handler in the space where you want it and requires less maintenance than a duct system.

No noise. Ductless mini-split systems have sound ratings as low as 19 dB for the inside unit. That is literally quieter than a whisper (about 30 dB).

Bloomfield Cooling installs and services high-quality Carrier mini-split ductless systems. Please call 973-237-0505 or email info@bloomfieldcooling.com with any questions you might have, or to schedule a free estimate.