Your South Florida Heat Pump Guide

Really? A Heat Pump in Florida?

We know you’re thinking it. We know every Floridian is thinking it. Why on earth would you install a heat pump in a climate that already feels like a sauna? Don’t be misled by the name – heat pumps are not just for creating warmth. In fact, they work in a very similar way to your refrigerator – by using a small amount of energy to simply move warm air out of one location to another, making one place colder and the other warmer.

Heat pumps are a great alternative to traditional AC units, mainly because of their environmental benefits – which can also save you money as an additional bonus! As all Floridians are aware, conventional air conditioners contribute a large amount towards your electricity bill. Because heat pumps move heat instead of generating it, they can operate at a fraction of the cost of traditional air conditioners, which reduces your electricity consumption and your carbon footprint. In fact, heat pumps are now the most efficient alternative on the market in comparison to their oil, fuel, and electric counterparts, with some models increasing efficiency by up to 200%.

How Do They Work?

There are three main types of heat pumps (that use air, water or geothermal sources – some heat pumps have advanced features – but ultimately they all work in a similar way. They gather heat from the air, water, or the ground and pull it in or away from your home, depending on your preferred indoor temperature. In summer months, warm air is extracted from the inside of your home and transferred or ‘pumped’ outside. In the cooler months, this process can be reversed to bring warmer air indoors making it an incredibly versatile home heating and cooling system. Even though our winters are very mild, every now and then you may want to turn the temperature up a little on those occasional colder days. This method of transferring heat tends to use a lot less energy, making it a great cooling system that is relatively clean and eco-friendly.

Pros and Cons of Heat Pumps

Now that you know what a heat pump does and how it works, it’s important to know about the benefits a heat pump can provide in your Florida home, and any drawbacks (of which there are few!).

Pros

• Heat pumps are much cheaper to run and maintain than oil and gas systems.


• They have an unparalleled energy to heat conversion rate, making them highly efficient and effective at maintaining the ideal temperature – at a lower cost.


• Clean, greener energy that not only saves you money but reduces your carbon footprint (as they make use of ozone friendly coolants), contributing to a brighter future for you and your kids!


• They have a much longer lifespan than traditional systems and can last as long as 50 years, which makes them a highly reliable heat source that you can trust.


• They require less maintenance in comparison to traditional heat combustion systems.


• Heat pumps are much safer to use in your home than systems that run off combustion.

Cons

• Heat pumps do unfortunately have a high initial start-up cost, but as the experts in this field, our team at Art Plumbing AC and Electric can assure you it’s an investment that will pay for itself in the long run!


• Throughout installation of the unit, there may be significant changes to your home, which may include disruption on the walls and yard. It requires a fair amount of research to understand the movement of heat in your location and the geological factors that affect what type of heat pump you require.


• They will never be completely carbon neutral, as a small amount of electricity is still required. However, it is a dramatically greener alternative.


• Heat pumps often don’t fare well below freezing – luckily, this doesn’t affect us in Florida with our mild winters!

Make the change today! For any further queries regarding our systems and your home cooling opportunities, feel free to contact us, and before you know it, you will be the proud owner of a money saving, eco-friendly and reliable heat pump system. Rest assured, you can leave it to our highly qualified technicians at Art Plumbing, Air Conditioning & Electric to guarantee you comfort all year round!