Heat Pumps Overview

A heat pump can cut your heating costs by up to 60% and provide you with low cost air conditioning in the summer.

How does a heat pump work?

A heat pump is like an air conditioner that can also run in reverse. It also works a lot like a fridge. Your fridge removes heat from the near-freezing inside air and expels it out the bottom or back of the unit into the warmer kitchen air. A heat pump is like a fridge but has a much greater capacity to move heat. On a cool day, it can remove heat from the cooler air outdoors and move it into your home. The cycle can be reversed in the summer so that heat is being  removed from your homes air to the outdoors. A more scientific explanation of how a heat pump works can be found on our heat pumps FAQ page.

How much can I save on heating costs with a heat pump?

Since a heat pump only moves heat from the outdoors into your home, rather than creating heat by burning fossil fuels, it can operate at efficiencies of over 100%- a typical heat pump we install averages about 300% efficiency. This means that about 3 kWh’s of heat are created for every kWh of electricity it consumes, and this can mean big savings on utility bills.  BC Hydro estimates that a heat pump will reduce heating costs by 57% when upgrading from a standard efficiency (65%) furnace. To learn more about heat pump efficiency ratings and how energy savings estimates can be calculated by comparing them to gas unit efficiency ratings and utility rates, see our heat pumps FAQ page. A heat pump can also greatly reduce your homes greenhouse gas emissions, see our Go Green page for more info.

Amounts are from BC Hydro's web site, and are based on energy consumption for space heating in the average BC home. Some homes have much higher heating costs.

Supplemental heating

While a heat pump can produce a lot of heat very efficiently at temperatures above 4ºC, its efficiency and output capacity begin to drop off below this point, and a typical house does not have a large enough power supply (unless almost nothing else is consuming electricity) to run a large enough heat pump to heat a home at below-freezing temperatures. For this reason, most heat pumps we install are also installed as a package with a new furnace, unless the customer already has a newer furnace.

Heat pumps for hot water heating systems

HouseSmart Heating and Air Conditioning is proud to install Aermec units, as they are the top name in air-to-water heat pumps. They can supplement a boiler to provide most of your heating for less than half the cost of the highest efficiency boiler, and air conditioning can be provided by optional indoor fan units.

Grants & Rebates Available

A government EcoEnergy grant of $400 is available on air source heat pumps, although the same amound must be paid for an energy audit and follow-up evaluation. If a heat pump is installed with a new furnace

The HouseSmart Heating & Air Conditioning Difference

Shell Busey's HouseSmart Heating and Air Conditioning is your top choice for home heating and cooling installations. Why? Because we are determined to give homeowners what they expect from a company with Shell Busey's name on it: installations and service work which are performed to the highest standards.

Your system will be installed by experienced professionals (on our staff, not subcontractors) who will perform the work correctly and to code (permits will be pulled so the work is subject to inspection). They will respect your home and be careful not to damage its appearance, and only high grade materials manufactured by top names will be used.

See the different units we install on our heat pump models page.

For much more information on heat pumps, see our heat pumps FAQ page.

Call 604-GOT HEAT (468-4328) for more information or to schedule a free quote on a heat pump installation. Serving the Greater Vancouver area including North Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Coquitlam, Surrey, Tsawwassen, and Langley.

Questions? Email info@housesmartheating.com or call 604 GOT HEAT (468-4328) | Sitemap