Firmly positioned as one of the most energy-efficient ways to heat and cool homes, heat pumps have come a long way. Today’s systems use advanced technology that leads to improved home comfort, lower energy bills, and a longer life span for the system.

If you’re looking to upgrade your HVAC equipment, or need to replace an older heat pump, look for high-tech heat pump features to maximize your investment.

To choose features to optimize performance, you first need to understand how a heat pump works. A heat pump essentially moves already-existing heat from one place to another, depending on the season. That makes it far more efficient than a furnace that burns fossil fuels or uses electricity to generate heat.

Among the heat pump features you should consider to increase performance:

• A two-speed compressor. This component reduces wear and tear on the system, as well as the amount of electricity consumed during heating and cooling.
• A multi- or dual-speed motor. Powering the air handler, these motors can operate at several speeds to deliver a more even velocity of air at a lower cost.
• A desuperheater. This component uses excess heat to provide hot water for your home.
• A high-efficiency compressor. Generally called a scroll compressor, this component uses refrigerant more efficiently due to its increased surface area. It also lasts longer and operates more quietly than standard compressors.

Homeowners living in hotter climates like ours in San Antonio often choose a heat pump because they can invest in one system to provide both heating and cooling. In summer, heat pumps are about as efficient as conventional A/C systems. Their real benefits are their ability to heat more efficiently and to deliver conditioned air at a steady rate often making them more comfortable than standard forced-air systems.

When upgrading, look for these heat pump features to improve your comfort and leave more money in your pocket each month. For help selecting a system, contact Jon Wayne Heating & Air Conditioning today.

Our goal is to help educate our customers 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.

Heat pump image via Shutterstock

When it comes time to select a new heating system, it’s important that homeowners prioritize furnace efficiency ratings. Efficiency ratings in general are the primary indicator of how well a heating system will perform, so here’s what you need to know:

The efficiency rating you want to look for when assessing a furnace system is AFUE, or annual fuel utilization efficiency. This is a basic measurement of how well a system will use fuel, natural gas or propane for instance, to produce heat for your home. High-efficiency systems start at 90 AFUE, and they will get you the best results as far as energy efficiency goes. Mid-efficiency systems start at 80 AFUE, while the minimum efficiency manufacturers must produce is set at 78 AFUE. It’s best to talk with your HVAC contractor to determine which system will best fit your home.

Many homeowners in the San Antonio area use a heat pump as their heating source. And this type of system gets good results for two reasons:

• These systems don’t generate heat from fuel (electricity); instead, they use electricity to move heat around (from the outside to the inside during winter, and vice versa during summer), which allows them to reap a four dollar return for every dollar spent.
• They also act as a heating and cooling system, which makes them a smart investment if you need to replace both. A heat pump’s efficiency rating is heating seasonal performance factor (HSPF), and high-efficiency ratings begin at 8.

To maximize home comfort and efficiency, you should also have your new system sized. You can choose a top-of-the line heating system, but if it’s not sized correctly, you won’t get a good return on your investment — as the system won’t reach peak efficiency.

If you’re facing a heating system replacement, use furnace efficiency ratings, along with heat pump ratings and sizing factors, to guide your choice. The HVAC experts at Jon Wayne Heating & Air Conditioning are happy to help. Just give us a call today. We’ve been assisting homeowners in maximizing comfort and efficiency in their San Antonio homes since the mid-1970s.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Decision image via Shutterstock

When shopping for a new heat pump system, homeowners should explore a variety of models, from basic ones to the more advanced. It’s worthwhile taking the time to consider available features of a heat pump, and consider whether investing in a high-efficiency system is cost effective and fits within your budget.

One primary feature to look for are those that offer a choice in speed, as these greatly increase efficiency possibilities.

A system with a two-speed compressor gets better energy savings because it allows for a better response to weather conditions. This system will generally operate at a low speed during mild weather, and ramp up to high speed on the most extreme days. Better energy savings comes from decreased electricity consumption, and these systems will last longer because they don’t work as hard. A properly sized system will run in low speed around 75% of the time.

You can also select a model that allows the air handler’s motor to operate in either dual- or variable-speeds. In climates such as Texas’, variable-speed models are worth the investment because homeowners have to use their heat pumps for continuous cooling over a long summer season. They also allow ideal comfort, because fans can ramp up slowly, and you get a more even comfort level — without the noisy “whoosh” of systems with only one option for motor speed.

A system with a scroll compressor takes advantage of high-tech cooling. With one spiral coil that is motionless and one that circles the other, these coils are able to better compress refrigerant and maximize its use. These compressors also have a longer lifespan, while providing homeowners with up to a 15-degree increase in the heating mode, providing significant energy savings in both seasons.

While higher-efficiency systems generally cost more initially, their ability to provide optimal comfort and increased energy savings make them a wise investment.

For help exploring heat pump systems, contact the experts at Jon Wayne Heating & Air Conditioning. We’ve been serving San Antonio residents for more than 30 years.

Our goal is to help educate our customers 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.

Jon Wayne Heating and Air Conditioning services  San Antonio and the surrounding communities of Seguin, New Braunfels, Bulverde, Boerne, and Comal County.  Visit our website to see our special offers to get started today!

Heat pumps are a popular choice for homeowners living in milder climates like San Antonio. Because winter temperatures rarely drop below 30 degrees, a powerful furnace is generally not necessary. Homeowners in this climate focus more on air conditioning systems, with heat as a backup system when the weather calls for it – and heat pumps work well here.

A heat pump is designed to move heat around, instead of using energy to create it. This makes it a really efficient piece of equipment. In the summer, the heat-pump air-conditioning system takes the heat from the inside air and exhausts it outside, while taking the existing air and passing it over a the compressor to cool it.

In the winter, the cycle is reversed. The pump takes the heat that’s in the outside air and draws it inside, where the heat is then “pumped” into the home. What makes heat pumps so efficient in this process is its ability to transfer the heat. It’s far less costly to move heat than to produce it.

You can also get a hybrid heat pump that increases efficiency. A hybrid unit works with a backup heating system that usually depends on gas as a fuel. Here’s how it works: The controls on the hybrid system are set at a balance point, which is calculated based on your climate and how effectively the unit will heat and cool up or down to a particular temperature. Once the outside temperature goes past that point, the furnace automatically switches on — so you get the best efficiency no matter how hot or cold it is outside.

This balance point is adjustable. For example, if electricity rates go up in your city, your HVAC contractor can change the balance point to get the most efficient results. Some systems offer programmable controls so you can design a schedule that suits your family’s needs and the weather’s demands.

Questions? Contact Jon Wayne Heating & Air Conditioning today. Our expert technicians can help you assess your needs and select the right system for your home.

Our goal is to help educate our customers 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.

Jon Wayne Heating and Air Conditioning services  San Antonio and the surrounding communities of Seguin, New Braunfels, Bulverde, Boerne, and Comal County. To get started, check out our website or see our current promotions.