Is a Heat Pump suitable and advangeous or not? Economical analysis

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Is a Heat Pump System Suitable for your Home?

Heat pumps – namely geothermal heat pumps – are an eco-friendly solution, but there are situations where they aren’t economical, namely if your energy consumption isn’t sufficiently high, or if gas is available to power conventional heating and cooling systems, or – in the case of air-source heat pumps – if you live in a cold climate, with temperatures frequently below 30ºF/0ºC.

To analyze whether a heat pump makes economical sense for your home, take into account the following variables:

- the type and the price of the energy you are using or intend to use;
- your climate zone;
- the possibility of installing a ground heat pump (instead of a air heat pump);
- your energy consumption;
- your duct system.

All these variables should be analyzed jointly.

Type of energy and prices

If the prevalent fuel in your region is natural gas, than heat pumps may not be an economical solution. Since natural gas is typically cheaper than electricity and since heat pumps use electricity, the savings allowed by heat pumps aren't often large enough to make the heat pumps competitive (mainly because they demand an higher initial investment, which in the case of geothermal heat pumps often amount twice the price of central air conditioners or other cooling and heating systems).

Note: the market is beginning to offer gas driven heat pumps, though yet rather limited to the needs of large buildings.

Climate & Heat Pumps

In mild climates, air heat pumps are competitive with other electric powered systems. In cold climates, below temperatures of 30º F (0º C), air-heat pumps efficiency is reduced, and they will demand supplemental heating. Ground heat pumps solve this limitation, but there is the problem of its installation and prices.

Geothermal heat pumps installation and prices

Geothermal heat pumps provide an higher performance. Their energy savings can amount to the double of air-heat pumps, and they aren’t dependent on climate. But geothermal are significantly more expensive than air-heat pumps or air conditioning devices or furnaces. Besides, you should also pay attention to the pre-conditions demanded by heat pumps installing: they demand a hole and space under or outside your home for the ground loop, and soil should be adequate for digging…

See for details: Geothermal Heat Pumps Installation

Heat pumps & ductwork

The existing duct dimensions are, in some cases, an obstacle to heat pumps systems. Heat pumps usually demand larger ducts than air-conditioning, and that is an important element to discuss with the installer.

Energy consumption

Since heat pumps (particularly ground heat pumps) may demand an investment higher than that of other systems, if the amount of energy consumed in your home isn’t large enough, they will not provide enough savings to pay that extra initial investment.

Conclusions

Heat pumps are a environmentally friendly solution, in many cases competitive and advantageous with air conditioners or furnaces. But there are also situations where heat pumps aren’t competitive enough, due to their higher initial investment.

If you can use natural gas for heating and cooling, then heat pumps may not be an economical solution. If your energy consumption is rather limited, the savings provided by heat pumps may not justify the initial investment. If your climate has a significant number of days with temperatures below 30º F (0ºC), then air-heat pumps isn’t a good enough alternative (think geothermal heat pumps, in this case).