Today’s central air conditioner and heat pumps are wonderful home comfort machines – but how do you know which one is right for your Hudson Valley home?
The two systems are similar in a couple of key ways: they’re both powered by outdoor units, and they both use energy to transfer heat from one place to another.
However, while an A/C unit limits the expansion of refrigerant to its indoor coils, a heat pump can reverse the process, enabling the indoor coil to be used for either expansion (cooling) or compression (heating).
Why choose a heat pump?
The main advantages of a heat pump are versatility and cost efficiency: it can both cool and heat your home, and do the latter typically 3-4 times more efficiently than an electric heater. The innovative heat pumps Bottini installs today can keep your home warm even when outdoor temperatures dip below freezing.
A properly sized, well-maintained heat pump could pay for itself in the savings of heating costs alone – which means you’d be getting its air conditioning benefits free.
Why choose central air?
A central A/C typically costs less upfront than a heat pump – and since it’s designed exclusively as a cooling unit, it will keep you cool no matter how high the mercury rises. Today’s high efficiency central units are quiet, and reliable – a far cry from older machines and in-window A/C models.
Proper installation and maintenance is they key to performance
Investing in a modern, high-efficiency cooling system is a great way to save money in the long run – one that we highly recommend considering if your system is more than 10 years old.
But always remember that the performance of both heat pumps and central A/C units depends as much on proper installation, sizing and service as it does on manufacturing specs. The key to all of these?
Hiring professionals who know how to do the job right.
Need help deciding what system is right for your home? Contact Bottini today!