If you’re shopping for a new heat pump for your Jacksonville home, you’re on the right path. An air-source heat pump can provide super-efficient heating (300 percent efficiency), plus high-efficiency air conditioning. Make sure you ask your HVAC contractor about available heat pump features. These include:

Two-Speed and Scroll Compressors

A standard air-source heat pump will come with one operating level – 100 percent. A two-speed compressor, however, allows the heat pump to adjust its operation according to your comfort needs. Most of the time, it will run at a slower speed, allowing you to save energy while providing more comfortable heating and cooling. A scroll compressor, meanwhile, uses advanced technology to squeeze every bit of efficiency out of the refrigerant that’s the life blood of a heat pump system. They last longer, run quieter, and do a better job of heating than standard piston compressors.

Variable-Speed Motor

This advanced heat pump feature offers similar benefits to a two-speed compressor. Unlike a standard air handler motor, the variable-speed model will adjust its running speed to conditions in your home. Usually running at a slower, more continuous speed, it saves energy, provides balanced cooling and heating, exacts less wear on parts, and provides better humidity control and air filtration.

Desuperheater

This option will help you save money on water heating. During the cooling season, it takes waste heat from heat pump operation and uses it to heat household water, at significant savings.

Supplemental (Backup) Heating

As efficient as they operate in moderately cold temperatures, heat pumps struggle to provide comfortable heating when temperatures drop below freezing. Most air-source heat pumps come equipped with a backup heating system in the form of an electric heating element. This is far less efficient than normal heat pump operation. As a result, many homeowners are opting for dual-fuel or hybrid systems, where a gas furnace provides the supplemental heating at a much cheaper cost.

For more information on advanced heat pump features, please contact us at Ocean State Air Conditioning & Heating. We provide the Jacksonville area with superior HVAC services.

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