One great thing about living in California is that you generally don’t have to deal with freezing cold winters like you do in many other parts of the country. While many California homeowners have a gas or electric furnace, an increasing number of people are making the switch to heat pump systems due to the numerous benefits they provide.
An Overview of How Heat Pumps Work
Electric furnaces and baseboard heaters all produce electric resistance heating. How they work is that electricity flows across metal wires, and the resistance it encounters causes the wires to get glowing hot. Electric resistance heating is usually close to 100% efficient, meaning that the electricity gets directly converted into heat.
Heat pumps are different, as they use electricity to transfer heat from outside to inside the building. This heat transfer process is the same way air conditioning works, just in reverse. In fact, the only thing that sets heat pump systems apart from traditional AC systems is that they have the ability to reverse the process so that they can provide heating as well as cooling.
Both systems use refrigerant, an evaporator coil, a condenser coil and a compressor to capture and transfer heat. Heat pumps can just switch the direction that the refrigerant flows to bring heat in from outside to raise the indoor temperature or remove heat from inside and release it outside to cool the house.
As long as it isn’t too cold outside, heat pumps are usually at least 300% efficient. Some higher-end systems can reach efficiencies of 400% to 500% under optimal mild-weather conditions. If a system is 300% efficient, it produces three units of heat energy for every unit of electricity it consumes.
The fact that heat pumps are so much more efficient than other types of heating is one of the main reasons why they’re such a great choice for mild California winters. In the past, heat pumps struggled in colder climates because there was less outdoor heat to capture.
Older models often ran continuously and heated slowly when temperatures dropped. However, modern cold-climate heat pumps can still operate efficiently well below freezing. Even so, gas furnaces remain common in colder regions because they deliver consistent heat regardless of outdoor temperatures.
How Much Can You Save on Heating Costs With a Heat Pump?
It’s difficult to say with any certainty how much you might save on your heating bills by switching to a heat pump. That’s partly because it depends on what type of heating you currently have. Your savings will usually be quite a bit higher if you’re switching from an electric furnace or any other type of electric resistance heating.
You can still see fairly significant savings if you’re switching from a gas furnace, but the savings usually won’t be as high because furnaces heat effectively and natural gas often costs less than electricity in many regions.
In California, however, where gas prices are relatively high, many homeowners do save money when switching from gas furnaces. Some may only see savings of around 25% per year, whereas others may cut their heating costs by half or even two-thirds. If you switch from a standard thermostat to a smart thermostat, your savings will be a little bit higher as well.
You’ll see the highest savings if you install a variable-speed inverter heat pump system. Standard heat pumps have a single-stage compressor that always runs at full power. Inverter systems have a variable-speed compressor that can continually adjust its speed based on the current indoor and outdoor temperatures.
This allows it to limit how much energy it uses while ensuring that the house always stays exactly as warm as you want. In milder weather, the system can slow down to the point where it sometimes only uses 25% to 30% of the electricity it would when operating at full capacity.
The one time that you may not save anything by switching to a heat pump is if you currently have a high-efficiency gas furnace and your home is poorly insulated or has numerous air leaks. This is why it’s worth having a home energy audit performed when considering installing a heat pump. If your house isn’t very efficient, it’s usually worth paying for professional air sealing before you install the heat pump so that it works more efficiently.
Other Reasons Why Heat Pumps Are the Superior Choice
While the amount you’ll save on your energy bills is one reason why it’s worth investing in a heat pump, you’ll also enjoy additional benefits. A heat pump system is ideal for eco-conscious homeowners due to its smaller carbon footprint compared to other heating systems.
While electric resistance heating doesn’t produce carbon emissions like gas furnaces do, it still has a much larger carbon footprint than heat pumps as a result of how much more energy it uses. The only time this isn’t the case is if you get 100% of your electricity from renewable sources. Even then, a heat pump is still the better option because it puts less strain on the grid and costs less to run.
Another reason that heat pumps are a better choice is that they don’t have the same potential safety issues as other types of heating. All heating systems carry some risk, but baseboard heaters can pose added fire hazards if flammable items are placed too close to them. Gas furnaces, meanwhile, come with the potential danger of carbon monoxide exposure.
You can also qualify for a variety of incentives like rebates and tax credits when you install a heat pump system. Many California utility companies offer rebates for customers who replace their gas furnace and central AC with a heat pump. If you install an ENERGY STAR-rated heat pump system, you’ll also be eligible for the 25% energy-efficient home improvement federal tax credit.
This allows you to claim 30% of the total installation cost up to $2,000 each year and apply it toward your federal income taxes. The Inflation Reduction Act extended this credit through 2032, so you have plenty of time to take advantage of it — though acting sooner lets you start saving earlier.
For more than 30 years, Greiner Heating and Air has been one of the top names for heating and air conditioning in the Davis, CA area. We have an experienced team of NATE-certified technicians who specialize in all aspects of HVAC installation, maintenance and repair. We’re a Lennox Premier Dealer and offer a selection of quality, highly efficient heat pumps sure to meet your needs.
We also offer home energy audits, air sealing and attic insulation and can help you ensure your home is as efficient as possible. To set up a consultation with one of our installation professionals, contact us today.
