Nowadays, more homeowners express interest in making their homes more sustainable than ever. To make that happen, they must embrace new technologies that lower their home’s carbon footprint. Among them, heat pumps are crucial to making the most significant possible impact. Here’s everything you need to know about heat pumps and why they are essential to sustainable living.
The Comfort Conundrum
The cause of climate change can largely be attributed to the increase in carbon emissions driven by global industrialization. At the beginning of the 20th century, total annual global carbon emissions were 1.95 gigatons. As of 2023, that number had risen to a staggering 37.4 gigatons. That’s driving a projected global temperature increase of as much as 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100. As a result, we now use an increasing amount of electricity for indoor climate control.
Today, experts estimate that 15% of global carbon emissions come from the process of heating and cooling buildings. Unfortunately, as temperatures rise, so will demand for cooling, pushing those emissions higher. As emissions rise, so will the projected temperature increase, creating a devastating feedback loop. There are only two ways to interrupt that feedback loop.
One way is to reduce carbon emissions related to electricity generation. To do so, governments worldwide began subsidizing renewable energy projects like wind, solar, and hydroelectricity. Unfortunately, it will take decades to decarbonize the global electrical grid fully. That leaves one other approach: reducing the electricity demand. That’s where heat pumps come in.
Heat Pumps as a Sustainability Solution
The most significant advantage offered by installing heat pumps is their extraordinary energy efficiency. Air-source heat pumps routinely outperform all but the most efficient AC units on the market in cooling mode. They can achieve coefficients of performance of three or more. That means they create three units of cooling output for every unit of energy consumed. In heating mode, they’re even more impressive. An air-source heat pump will often achieve a coefficient performance as high as five in heating mode.
The secret to the efficiency of a heat pump is that it consumes no fuel as it cools or heats your home. Instead, it efficiently moves heat energy from one place to another. As a result, heat pumps don’t create direct emissions like a gas furnace would. The only emissions associated with heat pump operation are from electrical generation. However, homeowners can eliminate those in more than one way. They can purchase their home’s electricity from a 100% renewable energy provider. Or they can install a rooftop solar power system to generate renewable energy on-site.
Heat pumps also rely on next-generation refrigerants that pose less environmental danger than those in conventional ACs. Most recent central AC systems rely on a refrigerant called R-410a. The good news is that R-410a isn’t harmful to the ozone layer like its predecessor, R-22. Unfortunately, it’s almost twice as potent as greenhouse gases. R-410a has a global warming potential (GWP) of 2,088. For reference, carbon dioxide has a GWP of one. So, when today’s AC systems leak refrigerant, they damage our environment tremendously. Heat pumps, however, now use refrigerants like R-32 and R-454b. While still posing some environmental risk, they have GWPs of less than a third of R-410a.
Other Heat Pump Applications
Although many people don’t realize it, heat pumps are also the main component in geothermal HVAC systems. Those systems use an underground refrigerant loop instead of open outdoor air to harvest and release heat. Those are an even more sustainable comfort solution than air-source heat pumps. The reason is simple. A few feet underground, the temperature remains relatively stable year-round. That eliminates the need to deal with heat waves and cold snaps. Geothermal heat pumps feature designs that capitalize on those stable temperatures. As a result, they can be up to 600% efficient and operate that way all year.
Heat pumps have other applications besides climate control. There are also heat pump-assisted water heaters, too. They help reduce how much electricity the average home uses to produce hot water. Depending on their installation conditions, heat pump water heaters can be up to three times as efficient as conventional models. That’s enough to eliminate up to one ton of carbon emissions annually relative to a gas heater. Heat pump water heaters also cool off the spaces around their installation locations. They can help keep utility rooms cool and capture waste heat from other nearby appliances.
Is Now the Right Time for Heat Pumps?
One of the biggest problems associated with many sustainability solutions is that there are roadblocks. For example, installing rooftop solar power comes with a massive price tag. Also, you can’t fully exploit rooftop solar if you don’t install some kind of battery storage system. Those are also expensive and have a limited lifespan. Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about any roadblocks regarding heat pumps.
For one thing, ducted air-source heat pumps share a form factor with conventional central AC systems. The average home requires no significant modifications to install a heat pump. That helps keep installation costs low for most people. Additionally, most air-source heat pumps cost only a few thousand dollars more than an ordinary AC. When you consider that you get high-efficiency heating and cooling from a heat pump, that’s a small price to pay.
Most importantly, multiple incentive programs can cut a heat pump’s cost. Under the provisions of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), you can claim a maximum of $2,000 of a heat pump’s cost on your taxes. Another part of the law authorizes point-of-sale rebates of up to $8,000 for qualified heat pumps. California offers additional rebates, including up to $2,000 per heat pump installation project. Local utilities often provide further incentives, as heat pumps reduce pressure on our overburdened electrical grid. Together, those programs can dramatically cut the cost of a heat pump installation.
Also, the IRA’s heat pump tax credit applies to heat pump water heaters. You can claim up to $2,000 of their cost on your taxes. However, that same maximum applies to HVAC heat pumps and heat pump water heaters. For maximum benefit, you must complete each installation in separate tax years. Then, you can claim up to the maximum $2,000 credit for each project.
Your Local Heat Pump Specialists
Since our inception in 2010, Environmental Heating & Air Solutions has been the go-to heat pump expert in Roseville, CA. We provide comprehensive HVAC installation, repair, and maintenance services. That includes working with the latest ducted and mini-split heat pumps. Our NATE-certified HVAC technicians have the training and experience to handle your heating services and all your cooling needs. We’re also a Lennox Premier Dealer, so we only carry the finest HVAC systems on the market. If you need air quality or plumbing services, we provide those, too. We can even offer financing on approved credit to help you fit a new heat pump into your budget.
If you think now’s the right time for a heat pump in your Roseville home, contact Environmental Heating & Air Solutions today!
