heating + cooling with heat pumps.
: get pumped about heat pumps!
Heat Pumps : Efficient Technology to heat (or cool) your home or building
The Basics.A heat pump is a mechanical HVAC system that uses a small amount of electricity to move heat from one location to another instead of using combustion energy to directly heat or cool air or water. During colder months, heat pumps draw heat from the environment and move it indoors to heat your home. During warmer months, they run in reverse to provide space cooling like a conventional air-conditioner.
There are 3 main types of heat pump systems classified by the medium through which they transfer heat: (1) Air-Source Heat Pump (ASHP) - these are the most common (2) Ground-source (or geothermal) heat pumps (3) Hydronic systems with heat pump water heaters Scroll down for the details of each of these! Efficiency.Air source heat pumps are far more efficient than traditional heating systems
because they are "heat-movers" rather than "heat-makers"; i.e. heat pumps don't spend extra energy on heat generation. Today's heat pump technology can reduce electricity use for heating by ~50% compared to electric resistance heating and can transfer 300% more energy than it consumes. In contrast, a high-efficiency gas furnace is about 95% efficient. This often equates to lower energy bills when switching from propane, oil, and electric-resistance systems - though it's not always true that switching from methane gas to electric saves money, at least today. Lots more on all this at Energy.gov. In a nutshell, although they can be expensive to purchase (check out all the tax credits and rebates!) they pay off in long-term savings and cleaner air! |
A super helpful article from Canary Media: A beginners guide to the different types of heat pumps. Ready Ted & Diane's StoryTed & Diane decided to go all electric when their aging furnace gave up. They have both a mini split and ducted air-source heat pump. Read their story here.
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Health and Safety.Heat pumps are so much more than just a heating and cooling device. Unlike traditional heating methods, heat pumps cleanse the air as they work. The filtration system maintains good indoor air quality - an important part of reducing the number of harmful pathogens in the air. Unlike traditional methane gas boilers and furnaces, heat pumps don't leak, burn incompletely, or rely on potentially dangerous faulty gas lines as their energy source.
Environment.Heat pump technology is essential to decarbonizing the built environment.
Because heat pumps are electric and don't rely on fossil-fuel combustion to operate, the on-site GHG emissions are zero. As more and more electricity is sourced from renewable energy in Montana (like solar and wind) off-site emission savings are estimated to be around 70% compared to fossil-fuel based systems. Choosing a heat pump over traditional systems also makes your home “net zero ready” as our electrical grid moves from fossil fuel to lower C02-producing sources. 
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Key Benefits:
How heat pumps work.
Graphic from Department of Energy.
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Cold Weather Effectiveness.Heat pumps do work in cold climates! The new generation of cold climate air source heat pumps operate efficiently down to 0F or even colder, but as temperatures decrease, so does the ease with which they can extract heat from the air. At -10 F for example, the will generally still work, but they will cost more to operate. Most systems in Montana include backup heat - radiant heat, methane gas, wood or pellet! Here's a great piece from Yale Climate Connections.
Some folks chose to keep their old system (ie. a gas furnace) and only use it when the temps drop below 0 F. It's also possible to use a pellet stove or as a backup. Other advances in heat pump controls have allowed for a more seamless integration of backup electric resistance systems, which provide an extra layer of security in extremely cold climates. (RMI) |
Cooling, too. As Montana summers heat up, more and more folks are looking for ways to cool homes and businesses. Most of us do pretty well much or all of the summer with opening windows at night and closing everything down as the temps rise. But sometimes this is just not enough or sometimes it's too smoky.
With a heat pump you don’t need to install separate systems for heating and cooling. You can rely on one unit for every season. (SMO Energy) |
Heat Pumps: Main Types
*A note on cost: The exact cost of a new heat pump will depend on your current heating and cooling system setup and what work must be completed before the heat pump can be installed. What we offer below does NOT include tax credits and rebates that are part of the Inflation Reduction Act or come from NorthWestern Energy, Missoula Electric Co-op, or other rebates.
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