Electrifying your home heating and cooling system with a heat pump is one of the most effective ways to heat and cool your house and reduce your overall carbon footprint. An ideal time to consider a heat pump is when you need to replace your existing heating or cooling system or when you want to add air conditioning.
There are several federal and state incentive programs to sweeten the deal (check the Deep Dive Tab for more info).
In order to qualify for the state MassSave incentives, you must get a MassSave free home energy assessment and add the maximum insulation to your home and significantly reduce drafts. You can get a no-cost Home Energy Assessment through MassSave which can then assist with insulation options.
There are two types of heat pumps:
Air source heat pumps. They can be ductless (also called mini-splits) or use a house’s duct system.
Ground source heat pumps, also known as geothermal. These are larger than air source systems and can be initially more costly but have a long lifespa and thus can be less expensive in the long term.
Financial Incentives
Ground source heat pumps (also known as geothermal):
Heat pumps work much the way your refrigerator does, by circulating a substance called a refrigerant through a cycle of evaporation and condensation. During the heating season, a heat pump moves heat from the outside air to your home. (Since the air outside always contains some heat, a heat pump can supply heat even on cold winter days.) During the summer, a heat pump cools just like an air conditioner, by transferring heat from inside to the outdoors.
AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMPS (ASHP)
ASHP have two parts: an outdoor condensing unit and one or more indoor air handling units, connected by a conduit through the wall. Some are ductless and some use ducts. Want to see it in animation? Watch the mini-split videos on Mass Save.
I heard heat pumps don’t work in New England.
This used to be true, but now effective cold climate heat pumps are available and they work very well in New England.
Doesn’t it cost more to heat with electricity?
No, because heat pumps move heat rather than generate it, they can heat and cool at a significantly lower cost than other systems. In fact, The Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships found that in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions air source heat pumps save around 3,000 kWh (or $459) when compared to electric resistance heaters, and 6,200 kWh (or $948) when compared to oil systems.
Do I have to replace my entire existing heating system to use heat pumps?
Heat pumps work with most heating systems, such as forced hot air, radiators, or radiant (floor) heat. They can also be “ductless,” in which case they transfer warm or cool air directly into the house.
Types of Air-Source Heat Pumps
The different types of air source heat pumps are described below.
Ductless vs. Ducted vs. Short-Run Ducted
Ductless applications require minimal construction as only a three-inch hole through the wall is required to connect the outdoor condenser and the indoor heads. Ductless systems are often installed in home additions.
Ducted systems simply use ductwork. If your home already has a ventilation system or the home will be a new construction, you might consider this system.
Short-run ducted is traditional large ductwork that only runs through a small section of the house. Short-run ducted is often complemented by other ductless units for the remainder of the house.
Split vs. Packaged
Most heat pumps are split-systems—that is, they have one coil inside and one outside. Supply and return ducts connect to the indoor central fan.
Packaged systems usually have both coils and the fan outdoors. Heated or cooled air is delivered to the interior from ductwork that passes through a wall or roof.
Multi-Zone vs. Single-Zone
Single-zone systems are designed for a single room with one outdoor condenser matched to one indoor head. Multi-zone installations can have two or more indoor heads connected to one outdoor condenser. Multi-zone indoor heads vary by size and style and each creates its own "zone" of comfort, allowing you to heat or cool individual rooms, hallways, and open spaces. This distinction may also be referred to as "multi-head vs. single-head" and "multi-port vs. single-port.”
GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMPS (GSHP)
Although many parts of the country experience seasonal temperature extremes -- from scorching heat in the summer to sub-zero cold in the winter—a few feet below the earth's surface the ground remains at a relatively constant temperature. Depending on latitude, ground temperatures range from 45°F (7°C) to 75°F (21°C). Like a cave, this ground temperature is warmer than the air above it during the winter and cooler than the air in the summer. The GHP takes advantage of this by exchanging heat with the earth through a ground heat exchanger.
Relative to air-source heat pumps, they are quieter, last longer, need little maintenance, and do not depend on the temperature of the outside air. The installation price of a geothermal system can be several times that of an air-source system of the same heating and cooling capacity, yet the additional costs are returned to you in energy savings in 5 to 10 years. System life is estimated at up to 24 years for the inside components and 50+ years for the ground loop. There is little to no maintenance required of these systems.
Information on how a ground source heat pump works can be found at Department of Energy
There are 5 types of closed loop systems. All types use a continuous loop where the heat transfer fluid is circulated. A horizontal loop is usually the most cost effective when adequate yard space is available and trenches are easy to dig. Using trenchers or backhoes digging trenches three to six feet below the ground, a series of parallel plastic pipes are laid. The trench is then back filled. A typical horizontal loop will have 400-600 feet of pipe per ton of heating and cooling capacity.
Vertical loops are preferred in many installations where yard space is insufficient and where preservation of existing landscaping is desirable. Contractors bore vertical holes in the ground 150-450 feet deep. Each hole contains a single loop of pipe with a U-bend at the bottom. The hole is then backfilled or grouted to improve the thermal conductivity. Each vertical pipe is then connected to a horizontal pipe underground to and from the heat pump. Vertical loops are generally more expensive to install, but require less piping than horizontal loops.
Most homes already have adequate electrical service.
Where is this heat pump installed?
Most are installed in the same place where your oil or gas burner is located.
How is a heat pump sized?
A qualified contractor will size your heat pump based on an accurate heating and cooling analysis of your home. Factors like the type of windows and insulation R. values are taken into account and a BTU per hour heat loss and heat gain will result. The heat pump is then sized and will keep you warm during the coldest winter night and cool on the hottest summer day.
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