Heat Pumps and Common Misconceptions

What are heat pumps?

Heat pumps are a type of heating and cooling devise. Instead of using gas, heat pumps work by using electricity to pull heat from the surrounding air and transfers it to the air or water that it is heating. They also cool the air by circulating a refrigerant that absorbs heat from indoor air to release it outdoors. Heat pumps are approximately 3x more energy efficient than their gas-powered counterparts, and one of the best ways to make your home more eco-friendly.

Since heat pump air conditioning and water heaters are a relatively new technology, the lack of familiarity and awareness of these products can lead to a hesitancy to install. However, most people benefit from heat pumps everyday, as this is the same technology that is used in refrigerators!

Several misconceptions continue to prevent people from installing heat pumps as a viable option. 

Click the drop-downs below to dispel some of the myths you may have heard about heat pumps.

Heat pumps are just for heating

While the name may be misleading, heat pumps move heat into the home during cold seasons and reverse that process during the cooling season. As described above, heat pumps utilize refrigerants to cool the air of the house down, and remove some humidity out of your home when needed.

Heat pumps do not work well in cold climates

Properly installed heat pumps provide reliable, comfortable heat in cold climate locations. In fact, the countries of Norway, Sweden, and Finland, which have some of the coldest winters in Europe have experienced the highest per capita heat pump sales in Europe in 2022.

Gas-powered systems provide heat in a power outage while heat pumps cannot

Gas furnaces require electricity for start-up and air circulation and generally do not work in power outages. Only homes with a back-up generator would be able to start heating in the case of an outage.

Additional expenses and upgrades are always required prior to heat pump installation

While the upfront cost may be higher than a traditional system, several incentives are available to lower the initial cost of a heat pump (search for available resource here).

In addition, many homes today can support heat pumps without additional steps or associated costs. Options exist to manage electricity demand within electric panel capacity without an upgrade.

Heat pumps are noisy

Modern heat pumps produce sounds at or below 60 decibels with newer models reaching as low as 43-45 decibels. Homes with window or central AC systems are usually as loud or louder than a modern heat pump.

Learn more about heat pumps so that you're knowledgeable and prepared before it becomes an emergency situation. The Switch is On has several great resources to find trained contractors, the right heat pump, and how to save money in the process.