If there’s one thing you need to live comfortably in Greenwood Village, CO, it’s reliable heat. With at least five months each year with subfreezing temperatures, you wouldn’t survive without it. It’s no wonder, then, that our state routinely ranks in the top 10 for highest home heating bills. That reality makes investing in a high-efficiency heating system a wise choice here. Heat pumps, the most efficient option, have historically performed poorly in cold climates — that is until the latest generation of cold-climate heat pumps reached the market. Here’s what you need to know about them and if they’re a good fit for Greenwood Village homes.
What Is a Heat Pump?
A heat pump is an all-electric HVAC system that provides heating and cooling from a single system. Mechanically, heat pumps work similarly to air conditioners. The big difference is that they can run in reverse to bring heat into your home instead of removing it. In heating mode, this appliance collects heat from the outside air to warm your home. In ideal weather conditions, air-source heat pumps can be up to 400% efficient, which is about four times more efficient than gas boilers. The problem is that Greenwood Village’s climate isn’t suitable for the average heat pump.
Most heat pumps begin losing efficiency as temperatures approach freezing. When it reaches 20°F outside, a standard heat pump is no more efficient than the average gas furnace. Below that, a standard heat pump will struggle to collect enough heat to heat your home. At that point, it will engage a supplemental heating system that consumes far more electricity. The net result is that you’ll have a skyrocketing heating bill instead of the energy savings you expect.
Why Do Heat Pumps Struggle in the Cold?
Since heat pumps collect heat from the outdoor air, freezing temperatures pose an obvious problem. It’s that there’s less heat available for collection. Therefore, the heat pump must work harder to collect enough heat for your home’s needs. To know why, you must understand the mechanics of how a heat pump functions.
Heat pumps use the refrigeration cycle as their means of operation. They collect and release heat energy by manipulating the temperature and pressure of a refrigerant. As long as the refrigerant is colder than the surrounding air, it will absorb heat from it. In cooling mode, getting a refrigerant to a lower temperature than your indoor air isn’t difficult. And after collecting heat from your home, it’s trivial to compress a refrigerant to raise its temperature. That’s how heat pumps and ACs can expel heat outside, even on the hottest summer days.
In the winter, however, the outside air gets much closer to a standard heat pump’s minimum refrigerant temperature. The lower the temperature differential between the two, the less efficient heat transfer becomes.
Unfortunately, standard heat pumps cannot compensate for low outdoor temperatures. That’s why they lean so heavily on inefficient electric resistance heat strips. However, it’s important to note that the problem isn’t a lack of heat in the outdoor air when it’s cold outside. Even sub-zero air contains ample heat energy. The air would need to reach absolute zero, or -460°F before there would be no heat energy in it. The trick is finding an efficient way of collecting that energy at much lower temperatures. That’s precisely what cold-climate heat pumps can do.
How Cold-Climate Heat Pumps Are Different
Cold-climate heat pumps employ advanced technology to remain efficient and effective at subfreezing temperatures. Depending on the system, they may include some or all of the following.
Next-Generation Refrigerants
One of the key differences between standard and cold-climate heat pumps is the refrigerants they use. A cold-climate model uses refrigerants with advanced chemistries and very low boiling points. That makes it possible for them to remain liquid at much lower temperatures. That reduces freezing issues and allows for efficient heat absorption even in sub-zero temperatures. That’s one of the ways that cold-climate heat pumps remain efficient at temperatures as low as -15°F.
Variable-Speed Compressors
A variable-speed compressor allows a cold-climate heat pump to adjust its refrigerant operating pressures as needed. That gives them a wider effective operational temperature range. In heating mode, they can start the refrigeration process at a far lower refrigerant temperature. Then, they can raise the refrigerant temperature enough to support efficient heating by employing a higher compressor speed. They can do the opposite in cooling mode, preventing any efficiency trade-offs due to their low-temperature capabilities.
Flash Vapor Injection
Cold-climate heat pumps may also use flash vapor injection to improve cold weather performance. It relies on an auxiliary refrigerant loop that lets the system separate liquid and vaporous refrigerant. The loop functions like a shortcut to the typical refrigerant path. It routes any still-warm refrigerant back inside to shed additional heat and the colder refrigerant to the compressor. That fills the compressor with an optimized refrigerant mixture for maximum heat absorption. It also reduces wasted heat by recycling some refrigerant back inside.
Other Advantages of Cold-Climate Heat Pumps
Cold-climate heat pumps have various advantages besides efficiency. One is that they’re environmentally friendly. For one thing, they don’t consume fossil fuels to function. If you pair one with a renewable energy source like wind or solar, their carbon footprint is nearly zero. Even their refrigerants pose less environmental risk than those found in conventional air conditioners.
Heat pumps also have the benefit of offering a year-round HVAC solution. They can replace your existing heating and cooling system. That lowers your overall costs of ownership and maintenance compared to the alternatives. Plus, the average heat pump lasts about 15 years with proper maintenance, so longevity is no issue.
Finally, cold-climate heat pumps can qualify for some excellent tax breaks and subsidies. Under the Federal Inflation Reduction Act, heat pumps qualify for tax credits worth up to 30% of their cost. Plus, the same law authorizes point-of-sale heat pump rebates of up to $8,000, depending on your income. At the state level, you can get an up-front discount of at least $499.95 on a new heat pump. For that, however, you must work with a state-registered contractor like Premier Heating and Air. We’re also a certified Xcel Energy contractor. They offer those who qualify heat pump rebates up to $9,000.
Local Cold-Climate Heat Pump Leader
If a cold-climate heat pump sounds like a good option for your Greenwood Village home, Premier Heating and Air can help. We’ve served local homeowners for over 15 years, offering quality HVAC systems and heating services. We offer complete HVAC installation, repair, maintenance, and indoor air quality services. Our NATE-certified HVAC technicians have the training and expertise to help ensure your comfort. We also offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee and 10-year bumper-to-bumper parts and labor warranties. We’ll even beat any comparable estimate you get from a competitor. We can also offer you financing options on approved credit when you buy a new HVAC system.
To learn more about installing a cold-climate heat pump in your Greenwood Village home, call Premier Heating and Air today!
