Are Heat Pumps the Future of Indoor Comfort?

Discover how modern heat pumps are revolutionizing heating, cooling, and energy efficiency, improving home comfort while helping you save on utility bills compared to heat pumps of the past. Learn more about this game-changing technology that allows homes and businesses to electrify.

As a society, we are beginning to shift away from fossil fuel usage and embracing sustainable solutions. You may have noticed that electric car charging stations are popping up across the county. Just like these new electric-powered vehicles, the future of comfortable indoor living is already here. All-electric heat pumps have become increasingly popular in recent years, especially outside the U.S., offering efficient and cost-effective, year-round indoor comfort solutions. Heat pumps are designed to keep your home cozy during the winter and cool when temperatures soar.

With rising energy costs, many homeowners are turning to heat pumps with inverter technology to keep their bills low without having to endure uncomfortable indoor thermostat settings. 

Are Heat Pumps the Future?

Heat pumps are a viable solution to the world's heating and cooling needs, especially in the context of climate change. According to the International Energy Agency, a record-breaking 3 million heat pumps were sold in 2022, replacing an estimated 4 billion cubic meters of natural gas and avoiding about 8 million metric tons of CO2 emissions.¹

As governments, communities, and individuals continue to prioritize sustainability and the transition to clean energy, it's clear that heat pumps will be a critical part of the future energy landscape.

Three Ways Heat Pumps Can Help Change the Future

 

1.Reduced Reliance on Natural Gas

All-electric heat pumps, especially those with inverter technology, offer the potential to reduce indoor comfort dependencies on fossil fuels, including natural gas, propane, and oil. Heat pumps use less energy than traditional HVAC systems, using only about 1 kilowatt for the operation to produce 4 kilowatts of heat - a 1:4 heating ratio. This all-electric operation translates into fewer emissions of pollutants that contribute to climate change.

 

 

2.Less Strain on Power Grids

Without much community fanfare, the energy efficiency minimum requirement for heat pumps was increased to the new SEER2 and HSPF2 rating system on January 1, 2023. For homeowners, this means that even with a base efficiency investment, a heat pump manufactured in 2023 will be slightly more efficient than a base-efficiency unit manufactured in 2022.

This is a win for the power grid! When a homeowner’s heating and cooling system uses less energy, the power drawn from the grid is reduced. If everyone in a community reduces their energy usage, the benefit multiplies.

 

3.Address Energy Poverty

According to The University of North Carolina Gilling School of Global School Public Health, “A new national analysis of United States household energy spending found that 16% of the country lives in energy poverty — defined as spending more than 6% of household income on energy bills.”²

 

Heat pumps offer an opportunity to address energy poverty and reduce energy costs by providing a sustainable, energy-efficient alternative to historically traditional heating and cooling systems. This is especially impactful in low-income areas where electric resistance heating is the norm and other locations where natural gas prices are skyrocketing.  

Motili, a leading property and HVAC technology company owned by Daikin Comfort Technologies North America, Inc, is working with a heating and cooling system replacement program to service low-income homeowners. In parts of the upper Midwest, these families have depended on more expensive heating options, such as propane or fuel oil.  This collaborative effort with Energy Efficiency Resources, (EER) a provider of energy reduction products and services, is ‘electrifying the grid’ by helping these homeowners convert their heating systems to highly efficient heat pumps and electric systems. Historically, heat pumps were not installed in this area because of their heating limitations in extremely cold weather. However, the evolution of inverter heat pump technology in recent years has resulted in all-electric heat pump systems that are highly capable of keeping these mid-western households warm.

“We are pleased to be working in the local community to provide high-efficiency systems for low-income residents,” said Matthew Sallee, VP Sales at Motili. “This program provides quality equipment at no cost to these residents and lower monthly bills without any large expense. It’s truly a great program.”

 

1. https://www.iea.org/news/the-global-energy-crisis-is-driving-a-surge-in-heat-pumps-bringing-energy-security-and-climate-benefits
2. https://sph.unc.edu/sph-news/energy-inequity-is-an-urgent-public-health-issue-as-bronx-fire-illustrates/#:~:text=A%20new%20national%20analysis%20of,household%20income%20on%20energy%20bills.