Every home is different, and heating needs can fluctuate dramatically throughout the year. Typically, most areas have a peak season that demands the most from heating systems and an off-peak season when heating systems don’t need to work as hard. The “shoulder season” between the peak and off-peak seasons can vary unpredictably. You might have an abnormally cool spring or a very warm autumn, and your heating system may have trouble keeping pace with the outside weather.
A heat pump can be a fantastic addition if you want to keep your home comfortable all year round, even during shoulder seasons when you want to maintain efficiency and comfort. A split system with a heat pump is a great retrofit option for many different types of houses. These heat pumps typically consist of outdoor compressor units and indoor control units connected by a conduit that houses power cables, refrigerant tubing, suction tubing, and a condensate drain.
Why Use a Heat Pump With a Split System?
During shoulder seasons, you probably notice that some areas of your home are more comfortable than others. Heat pumps in split systems are perfect for controlling the temperatures of these areas without drawing excessive power and escalating your energy costs. It’s possible to configure a heat pump system to have one outdoor unit and several indoor units to provide temperature control to several rooms inside the home that may have trouble keeping pace with the home’s central heating and cooling system. These systems also make great additions for homeowners who add rooms onto their homes but cannot feasibly install new ductwork to their additions.
Heat pumps with split system configurations are ideal for many types of homes. One of the main advantages of these systems is how easy it is to install them. Typically, a split system heat pump only requires a three-inch hole drilled through the wall to run the conduit between the indoor control unit and the outdoor compressor unit. Additionally, it’s fairly easy to configure these split systems with as much as 50 feet of space between the indoor and outdoor units. You could configure an indoor heating unit in a front room of your home with the control unit at the back of the home so it’s less conspicuous.
Potential Savings from Split System Heat Pumps
Split system heat pumps are also completely ductless systems, so you don’t need to worry about heat loss that you would typically encounter with duct-based heating systems, which often accounts for as much as 30% of energy consumption for indoor space conditioning. Since heat pumps are flexible, easy to configure, and minimize energy costs for their additional conditioning, they make perfect additions to many different types of homes that need additional heating during shoulder seasons.
Installing a heat pump in a split system configuration will come with an initial expense; depending on how you plan to configure your outdoor and indoor units, the installation price can be higher than other heating options. However, this can pay off tremendously in the long run.
If your goal is to make your home more comfortable during shoulder seasons, a heat pump in a split system can accomplish this effectively with minimal increase to your energy costs. Instead of overtaxing your existing heating system during variable shoulder seasons, a new heat pump split system can provide better results with minimal impact on your monthly energy costs. Contact Harker Heating today to learn more about heat pump split systems and what one could do for your home.
Resources: https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/heat-pump-systems/ductless-mini-split-heat-pumps
