Heat Pumps vs Furnaces & Air Conditioners

Traditionally Colorado homes have had very few options when it comes to heating or cooling. For heating we had either the gas forced air furnace, or the gas fired boiler. For cooling our options were a ducted air conditioning system or evaporative cooling. Although heat pumps have been in use for many years, they were almost exclusively used in the southern region of the country, where winter temperatures were not as extreme as they are in Colorado. In recent years, Quinnair has seen a growing interest in more efficient means of heating & cooling their homes. That combined with several factors, including new Federal & local regulations, rising energy costs, environmental concerns along with technological advances have dramatically impacted our industry. One of those impacts, is the push for the “electrification” of the country. The attempt to move away from natural gas or other fossil fuels and use all electric heating & cooling products is well underway. Advances in heat pump design have recently made the heat pump a very attractive candidate for homeowners and businesses in Colorado. Todays Heat pump can warm your home, even when the outdoor temperatures drop to as low as -20 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat pumps can operate extremely efficiently, with some models that even have the ability to modulate, adjusting the amount of heating or cooling  B.T.U.s delivered into your home or office based on the demand. Modulating equipment allows the unit to run at a very leisurely rate on mild days but when conditions become severe, the unit will ramp up to meet the challenge.  

So, how does a heat pump differ from a traditional furnace or air conditioning system? First of all, unlike a furnace which requires both electricity as well as natural gas, the heat pump is entirely electric. Todays heat pump is a sophisticated, high performance air conditioning system that has the ability to produce cooling in the summer months, and in the winter, the system reverses itself automatically and generates heating during these cold months. 

A variety of incentives are available for those people who chose to install heat pumps that meet certain efficiency requirements. One incentive comes in the form of a rebate thru Xcel Energy, who is now offering up to $2,000. on “cold climate, air source, heat pumps”. There is also a Federal rebate that is also up to $2,000. on select equipment. Quinnair offers a rebate of up to $1,000. as well. There are often other incentives that become available throughout the year and the staff at Quinnair stays informed and can advise you as changes occur. So, currently there should be a minimum $5,000. available in rebates from the three sources listed above, on select equipment. Call or email Quinnair heating & air for all of the details and to discuss an equipment package best suited to your needs.   

It can become costly to have winter and spring maintenance check ups, although when Quinnair installs your heat pump, we not only are confident we can give you the best price, we additionally give a complementary service call after the install to make sure everything is running correctly and instant Excel Rebates

Give us a call today about our heat pump options!