All you need to know about
Air-source heat pump

We all love to feel cozy in cold months. The ideal winter scenario is one in which we can enjoy ice cream and a movie in our warm room within a blizzard raging outside. But those good feelings are disappearing with higher heating bills. After a long period of dissatisfaction with rising costs, Mattapan resident Nia Imani has cut her average electric bill in half since replacing her electric baseboards and window air-conditioners with air-source heat pumps. “Normally the bill is anywhere from $400 to $500, and it was more like $200. I was, like, let me look at that again!” she said.

Why are our bills going up?

Over the winter, gas, coal and electricity prices rose to their highest levels in decades. These increases are due to a combination of factors. A historic slump in global energy consumption in the early months of the COVID-19 crisis pushed the prices of many fuels to their lowest levels in decades. But as the world reopened, demand has increased and prices have rebounded strongly.

Why to choose it and how does it work?

A great thing about my heat pump system is that it cools and dehumidifies in summer, and it keeps me warm in the winter, all in one system
----Melanie Coen

For residents of Massachusetts, where winters are frigid and summers are hot and humid, installing both cooling and heating can be costly. In this case, a temperature control system that provides heating in winter and cooling and dehumidification in summer is crucial. “ A great thing about my heat pump system is that it cools and dehumidifies in summer, and it keeps me warm in the winter, all in one system,” says Melanie Coen, who works in National Grid, and also installed the heat pump in her own home. An air source heat pump system can be thought of as an air conditioner that can work in reverse, using electricity to power the compressor and a refrigeration cycle to transfer heat. In winter, it transfers heat indoors; In summer, it transfers heat outside. The system can use existing plumbing systems to distribute hot and cold air. A version with no pipes is also available. Air source heat pumps make a real contribution to lowering carbon emissions and saving energy. Because of their incredible efficiency and the makeup of our electric grid, heat pumps already produce fewer emissions than oil, natural gas, or propane heating systems. heat pump in her own home.

How much does it cost and how much dose it save?

The average cost of a single-head residential heat pump installed in Suffolk County, which includes Boston, was $6,474 in 2018 and 2019, according to MassCEC. Since then, however, installation prices have almost certainly risen, with whole-family systems costing more. In the 2020 MassCEC pilot program, the median cost of installing a whole-home heat pump system in Suffolk County, which includes Boston, Chlesea, Revere, and Winthrop was $18,400 - lessn in new buildings and and more in retrofitting existing buildings. However, households that install air source heat pumps may receive grants and financing from various government departments.

Limitations?

Two common myths are that air source heat pumps don’t have a way to provide enough heat below freezing, and some people believe they can’t heat a home without a backup source. In fact, cold climate air source heat pumps can fully meet the heating needs of below freezing temperatures without the need for backup, especially in well-insulated homes.