Fix the roof when the sun is shining, the saying goes. Although not yet an
axiom, it’s equally smart to pay attention to your heating system before winter.
Perhaps
even consider an energy-saving heat pump. As its name indicates, it’s a device that moves heat from one place to another,
against the natural direction heat wants to flow.
Undoubtedly, you already own a heat pump -- your refrigerator.
Cooling food with the warm air inside your house, in terms of physics, is the same as heating your home
with air from the great outdoors.
No need to understand air compression to use its magic.
“You’re just using a couple of electric motors and compressor to make a huge change in the temperature in your
house,” says Jerry Swagler.
He and his wife Jackie used a heat pump in their Port Angeles, Wash. home
for over 25 years before installing a more efficient one. “A heat pump is the most energy efficient source of residential
heating in today’s market,” he says, sharing their personal experiences with customers of their company, J &
J Construction.
In winter, heat pumps uses an electric motor to transfer heat from the colder outside air
to the warmer inside air.
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Because they simply move heat, rather than creating it, they
provide up to four times more energy than they consume. Which can translate into a four-fold reduction in the amount of energy
you use to warm your home.
This heat exchange works as long as it’s a bit above freezing –- which means
most of the year on Washington's North Olympic Peninsula.
Below 37 degrees (F), you’ll need more heat,
from a furnace.
Come summer, reverse the movement and the heat pump becomes an air conditioner, keeping you cool
indoors while temperatures soar.
If your furnace is more that 15 years old, it’s outmoded. Heating technology
has improved so much that it may be worth your while to replace it with more efficient, Energy Star equipment. (See:
www.energystar.gov)
Improved efficiency will lower your utility bills immediately –- and continue saving
you money year after year.
Installing a new system will cost less than half of what you’d spend on
a new car. And what you save on utility bills each heating season will keep on growing as energy costs climb. Of course, replacement
costs vary according to the size of your home, the system you choose, and the heating contractor you work with.
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First make sure that you have fixed all your home’s big air leaks,
including the heating ducts. Sometimes leaky ductwork is the problem.
Up to 60 percent of heated air can
be lost through un-insulated leaky ducts before it reaches your home’s registers says the U.S. Department of Energy.
Sorry, regardless of its name, duct tape won’t do. Duct sealing is a job for the pros.
Utility companies offer incentives and rebates to make weatherization easier, including sealing heating ducts and adding
energy efficient heat pumps. Contact your utility provider for rebate details and lists of approved contractors.
Federal tax credits further reduce your costs. There are also tax credits for other energy saving measures, like more energy efficient windows or programmable thermostats to save energy when you’re
sleeping or away at work.
While conserving
energy saves your hard-earned money, it also reduces the demand for power. With less demand, utility companies don’t
need to build more power plants. And that spares Earth the pollution from more power plants.
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