Portland Heat Pumps vs. Furnaces
Here in the Portland area and across Oregon, people are ditching their standard home furnaces in favor of heat pumps. First developed in the 1970s-80s, heat pumps are now a mature and robust technology that improves on older heating and cooling systems in virtually every way.
What is a heat pump? In essence, it’s an air conditioner that can run in both directions. When it’s hot inside, the heat pump captures heat and then pumps it outdoors, leaving cooler air behind. But when it’s cold, it can run the process in reverse – grabbing heat energy from the outside air and moving it inside.
Because heat pumps work through heat transfer, rather than burning fuel to create heat, they’re far more energy-efficient than other options. And that’s just one of many reasons they’re better than standard furnaces in most situations.
The Problems with Home Furnaces
People have been using furnaces to create heat for centuries, so why change? Because they have a lot of problems that heat pumps have solved!
Energy waste. Traditional furnaces require fuel because they use combustion to make heat. Whether it’s wood, natural gas, or any other fuel, this is a highly inefficient way of heating a home or condo.
Fire risk. Furnaces create enough heat to be a fire risk to anything nearby. Plus, if they’re running on natural gas, there’s also the chance of a deadly gas leak.
Carbon monoxide. Gas leaks aren’t the only dangerous aspect of furnaces. They also create large amounts of carbon monoxide.
This deadly gas could make its way into your home without adequate ventilation.
Difficult maintenance. Home furnaces are typically kept in out-of-the-way areas and are hard to work on – which drives up maintenance costs.
Heating only. If you have a furnace, it’s only able to create heat. If you want cold air, that means installing a second energy-hungry unit to cool your home.
The Benefits of Portland Heat Pumps
Energy Savings. No other HVAC system offers the same level of energy efficiency as heat pumps. This saves you money and helps save the planet.
Safe operation. There’s no substantial risk of fire or any dangerous gases escaping the system – because there aren’t any hazardous gases in use!
Two-in-One design. A heat pump can heat and cool, providing all your home or condo climate control needs in a single unit.
Room-by-room climate control. New ductless heat pumps give you total control of your home’s temperature by letting you set temperatures for each room.
Rebates and benefits. Portland General Electric and numerous other government agencies offer rebates and benefits for switching to energy-efficient heat pump technology.
Get a Heat Pump Installed in Portland Today
Mt. Hood Ductless is your authorized provider of ductless heat pump systems across Portland. We can help you save money on installation with rebates, and you’ll see lower electric bills year-round!