A heat pump uses metal coils and a fan to extract ambient (outside) air warmth, rather than burning fossil fuels or using energy-intensive electrical resistance like furnaces do. That allows a Heat Pump to deliver comfortable, year-round climate control with significantly less energy than other heating systems—even in very cold climates.
The key is a reversing valve and optimized heat exchangers that allow the system to transfer thermal energy in both directions—heating and cooling. When the outdoor temperature falls below freezing, select models—such as Mitsubishi Electric’s H2i plus—can move as much as 100 percent of the available heat into your home.
That’s why we consider heat pumps one of the most energy efficient and sustainable HVAC options available. With proper maintenance and use, a heat pump can deliver years of comfort while saving you up to 50% of your current energy bill.
Unlike traditional gas furnaces, a heat pump does not emit carbon dioxide, reducing your household CO2 emissions by about 75 percent. And when used with clean electricity, from a local power company that’s sourced from renewable sources or rooftop solar, your environmental impact is even lower.
While heat pumps are a good choice for any climate, they are more effective in milder ones. That’s because a heat pump has to work harder to extract heat from the outside air when temperatures are colder. However, with advances in technology, heat pumps now have the ability to extract more heat than ever from the air, even when it’s below freezing.
A heat pump’s operation depends on several factors, including its energy efficiency rating metric—SEER—and the Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF). Basically, SEER tells you how efficiently the system cools your home, while HSPF is an indicator of its ability to warm it. The higher the HSPF number, the more efficient the system is.
Another factor is the size of your home and whether you have ductwork. A ductless mini-split heat pump system works just like a ducted model, but it connects the outdoor unit to indoor air handler units—or “heads,” for short—installed in each room. This is a common, straightforward way to add heating to a home or addition that doesn’t have existing ducts.
A ductless heat pump’s energy efficiency is further enhanced by Mitsubishi Electric’s advanced INVERTER-driven compressor technology, which operates on a zoned basis to only provide comfort to the areas in use. That can cut your energy consumption by as much as 50 percent compared to conventional central AC systems that run full blast, regardless of the actual demand for climate control in each area of your home. That’s the kind of savings that can really add up.