Inside Scoop About Heat Pump HVAC Systems

If you can answer these three basic questions, then don’t bother listening to this podcast. The questions are tricky, so if you're the least bit uncertain I suggest you listen to this week's riveting Energy Show episode.

How can a heat pump be 300% efficient?

Are gas furnaces still the most popular new heating system?

Can you get an $8,000 IRA rebate and $2,000 Federal Tax Credit for a heat pump installation in 2023?

First, we’ll delve into the way a heat pump HVAC system works. In a nutshell, a heat pump is an air conditioner operating in reverse. This heat pump thermodynamic trickery has been improving so much that heat pumps are now standard equipment on most new homes. They also work great in cold climates, unlike the systems I installed in the ‘80s.

Retrofitting a home with a heat pump — which both heats and cools — provides homeowners a great deal of design flexibility. Heat pumps can use existing ductwork, can be installed “ductless" with mini-splits, or a hybrid that combines both. All without a single inch of sticky duct tape. When designed and installed properly, the end result will be an efficient, clean, comfortable and code-compliant heating and cooling system. And affordable. That’s where the IRA comes in.

Ahhh, the Inflation Reduction Act. Without a doubt the biggest federal incentive program for clean energy technologies. But complicated with a blizzard of regulations, requirements and not-quite-ready forms for us to fill out.

Please tune into this week’s Energy show for an answer to the top three Heat Pump HVAC questions, as well as plain English details about the benefits of heat pumps, how they work, and honest answers about available incentives.