Weatherizing Your Home Before Installation
Consider preparing your home for the heat pump before it is installed by first air-sealing and insulating to a proper extent. Having a tighter, more insulated home not only reduces annual heating costs, but might also allow you to buy a smaller heat pump system than you would have needed otherwise. HG&E provides free home energy audits to customers which determine cost-effective weatherization improvements you can make to reduce your annual heating and cooling costs. You can also take advantage of Holyoke's weatherization incentives to help cover the costs.
Understanding Common Heat Pump Ratings
System Size and Output Capacity:
The amount of heating and cooling that a heat pump system can provide depends on its size, or "output capacity". Smaller heat pumps can be used to heat individual rooms or spaces. Larger, whole home systems may have multiple indoor units connected to one or more outdoor units. The output capacity of a heat pump system can vary depending on the outdoor temperature. The NEEP Cold-Climate Air Source Heat Pump List provides the output capacity at various outdoor temperatures down to 5 degrees F.
HSPF:
This is the average annual heating efficiency of the air source heat pump system. The HSPF indicates how much heat is produced for each watt of electricity that the system consumes. For example, if a heat pump has an HSPF of 10, this means that the system will output an average of 10 BTUs of heat for every watt consumed throughout the heating season. Ensuring the system has a high HSPF will help lower your annual heating bills.
SEER:
This is the average annual cooling efficiency of the heat pump. The SEER rating indicates how much cold air is produced for each watt of electricity that the system consumes. A higher SEER rating will reduce your cooling costs over the cooling season.
EER:
The EER rating is the cooling efficiency of the system when its specifically 95 degrees outside.
How to Shop for a Heat Pump
When choosing a heat pump installer, its a good idea to get quotes from multiple contractors, as installation costs can vary widely depending on who you work with. But, be sure your installer has experience installing heat pump systems as they are a more complex technology than conventional heating and cooling systems. One way to help ensure this is to check to see if the installer has a manufacturer's certificate of training. The Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership (NEEP) has provided an Air Source Heat Pump Buying Guide to help you choose the right system for your needs. See pages 13 and 14 of the guide for best practices for choosing a heat pump system and questions to ask a contractor to ensure they are experienced with installing this system type.
Resources on Proper Heat Pump Operation
Further Resources:
Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership’s Air Source Heat Pump Buying Guide and MassCEC’s Heat Pump Guide are great resources to review to learn more about how air source heat pumps work, which design is right for your home, size and ducting options, and more!