Tag: hvac services

The pros and cons of heat pumps

Heat pumps are becoming incredibly popular as heating devices. Today, a big number of people rely on such equipment to heat their house during the fall season. And now that the fall season is almost here, you may want to install a heat pump or get heat pump repair in case your existing unit is not working.

However, a big number of people who are reading this article may not know what heat pumps are to begin with. So, before we move on to the advantages and disadvantages of heat pumps, let us look at the basics briefly.

What are Heat pumps?

Heat pumps are systems that involve the use of pump to transfer heat from one point to another. These units often use a gas or liquid refrigerant that extracts heat from the outside environment and pumps it indoors.

In this process, less amount of heat electricity is used. In comparison, when electricity is used in heat conversion, then a big amount of energy can go wasted resulting higher bills.

At the same time, this cycle gets reversed during the summer. Then, the heat pump simply absorbs heat from the indoors and throws it outside, hence working as an air conditioner.

However, the use of heat pumps simply depends on your location. Certain areas that are very cold do not offer the perfect conditions for heat pumps to work with high efficiency.

Though, from the perspective of reducing our carbon footprint, heat pumps do a great job as compared with gas furnaces. Although, gas furnaces can be extremely efficient – rated up to 98% at times.

Pros of Heat pumps

Now, let us look at some of the advantages of heat pumps. These include:

Lower costs to run

Heat pumps simply costs lesser when it comes to operation and maintenance. Furthermore, the greater the energy efficiency of your system is, the better it will run in the long-term.

Lesser maintenance

Perhaps the best thing about heat pumps is that they cost lesser from maintenance perspective in the long run. So, chances are that you will not have to spend a lot of on your heat pump.

Though, occasional maintenance and repairs are inevitable, and you cannot avoid that. After all, it is a mechanical device and can be prone to faults due to multiple reasons.

As far as simple inspection goes, you can occasionally do it on your own. However, for bigger issues, you will most likely need the help of a professional serviceman or a heat pump contractor.

Safety

Yet another benefit of a heat pump is that they are very safe in comparison to other systems that rely on combustion. With that, they have reduced carbon emissions since no combustion is taking place.

And some heat pumps can be extremely efficient, hence reducing your overall energy costs. Take the example of water source heat pumps for example. These heat pumps can have an efficiency of around 600 percent.

Longer life span

Heat pumps tend to have a longer life span in comparison to other heating devices and equipment. For instance, a heat pump can last up to 50 years. Though, average time span in which the heat pump will work best is around 14 to 15 years.

They work both ways

The best thing about a heat pump is that it can work both ways. For instance, it can provide cooling during the warm season and provide warmth during the fall season.

The only downside would be that you will occasionally have to take help from heat pump repair services Falls Church before every new season (as heat pumps tend to run down often).

The best time to replace your HVAC system

Are you planning to replace your HVAC system? This is something that is inevitable, since HVAC systems tend to have a shelf-life. After this shelf-life is passed, your HVAC system may not work as efficiently anymore. After that, you will have to call in HVAC repair services. Furthermore, there are a number of other reasons because of which the efficiency of your HVAC unit may also be compromised. Once that happens, your unit will not work properly, resulting in a complete shutdown after some time.

Sometimes, air conditioner units get too damaged that it is just cheaper to replace them with the new unit rather than trying to repair it. When that happens, know that it is time to replace your unit.

When should you replace your hvac units?

However, when is the best time to do that? In this article, we put together a number of ideas that may help you figure out the best time to replace HVAC units. These include:

When your unit does not work at all

Sometimes when the HVAC unit stops working, you can try a number of things to get it back up. For instance, taking the filters out and washing them is one of the most common troubleshooting methods. Usually, when you do this, the units start working.

This is because dirty filters reduce the cooling and heating efficiency of the system. As a result of this, the system often ends up getting overheated due to which it goes into standby. After removing and cleaning the filters, your system may start working again (in many cases). In case it still does not work, you can try the other tips.

Check the electricity connections

Of course, a system cannot work without proper electricity supply. So, make sure that your system has proper supply of electricity to it. This way, you will be able to troubleshoot yet another common error. Often at times, the power supply that our unit has gets interrupted as a result of which the system does not start. If this is the case, then giving it some power will be able to start it back up.

It is the summer season

Perhaps, the best time to replace the hvac system or to repair it is during the summer season. Now that it is just around the corner, a big number of people will have their air conditioners repaired or replaced. Usually, it is recommended that this should be done before the cooling season begins, so that you can have greater efficiency and lesser bills.

In case your system continues to work inefficiently during the summer season, your bills will end up being very high. This is something that you definitely don’t want, so keep that in your mind.

What months are the most suitable?

In general, it is recommended for you to replace your air conditioner in the off-season which continues from September until November. Usually, after this season, slowly, the need of air conditioners will rise. Consequently, the prices of replacement or repair may also surge up when the demand is high.

Ending note

Make sure that your HVAC units are working with maximum efficiency at all times. This way, you will be able to save a lot of electricity costs, without any wastage. In case you think it is better to repair the units, then reach out to HVAC Contractors Chantilly near your house right away! The sooner you get rid of this problem, the better. Especially, considering the fact that the summer season is just around the corner and in no time, air conditioners will be running again!