Heat pumps, explained
An unhurried guide for a considered decision.
A heat pump moves heat rather than making it: out of the house in summer, into it in winter. The principle is simple. Choosing well for a particular house is not.
Four ways to bring a heat pump into a home
- Best suited to
- Homes with existing ductwork in good condition, or new builds where ducts can be planned.
- How it feels to live with
- Invisible. Air arrives through ordinary floor or ceiling registers, and the house feels like it always has, only more even.
- Worth considering
- Older ducts often leak or are undersized for heat-pump airflow. We test before we reuse them.
- Best suited to
- Additions, older homes with radiators, and rooms that never got enough heat from the main system.
- How it feels to live with
- Very quiet, very responsive, room by room. Each space has its own unit and its own setting.
- Worth considering
- Indoor units are visible. Placement and model choice matter to how a room looks.
- Best suited to
- Most real houses. Ducted for the main floors, a slim ducted or wall unit for the bedroom over the garage.
- How it feels to live with
- The right equipment in the right rooms, run from one set of controls.
- Worth considering
- Takes more design time. It is the work we enjoy most.
- Best suited to
- Homes with a boiler or furnace that still has useful life, or owners who want a fuel backup for the coldest nights.
- How it feels to live with
- The heat pump carries most of the year. The furnace or boiler steps in below a set outdoor temperature.
- Worth considering
- Two systems to maintain. The switch-over point is worth setting carefully.
Questions people ask us at the kitchen table
Do heat pumps work when it is below freezing?
Cold-climate models keep heating well below zero Fahrenheit. Output does fall as it gets colder, which is why the load study and equipment choice matter more than the brand.
Why does the outdoor unit sometimes steam?
That is a defrost cycle. Frost builds on the coil in damp cold weather and the unit melts it off for a few minutes. It is normal and expected.
Will the air feel cooler than a furnace?
Heat pumps deliver gentler, longer-running warmth rather than short hot blasts. Most people describe it as steadier rather than cooler.
What happens in a power cut?
The same as any modern heating system: it stops. A generator connection can be planned at the design stage if that matters to you.
The rest is specific to your house.
That is what the first consultation is for.
Request a consultation