Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Gloria Austin
HEAT PUMP — Jon Harbison of Harbison Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning, displays a heat pump unit that can be used to provide supplemental heating.
By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
Heat pumps are not new. They have been around for a number of years. But, the technology driving the heat pumps today produces more energy efficiency. But, is that the right alternative for your home? That is where Harbison Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning can help a homeowner.
“Even if you don’t know what you want, tell me what you think you want,” said a smiling Jon Harbison, operating manager of Harbison Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning. “Then I know what you are trying to get across to me. I can give you recommendations on what source would be more efficient.”
Harbison Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning sells pellet boilers, high-efficiency oil or condensing boilers and heat pumps.
“Heat pumps are awesome and I love them,” said Harbison. “The technology is better than it ever has been for this type of equipment. Heat pumps today are able to work at lower outdoor temperatures. That makes them more efficient and more of a viable option.”
Units today can work from 5 to 15 below zero in the wintertime and they still put out “adequate heat,” Harbison explained. “But, they are still made to be supplemental.”
After inspection of the main heating source, if it appears as the boiler is going to give out soon, Harbison will alert the homeowner and actually stave off adding the alternate heat.
“I have to be honest with the homeowner,” he added. “Sometimes, I talk myself out of a job. It may behoove people to deal with their essential heating system first and then add an alternate source. If you have a good back up, we do not want to run it because it may not be as efficient for you, however it is still reliable. It works, but just not as efficient as it could be.”
That is where a heat pump as an alternative is a good choice. Heat pumps are a form of electric heat. It is not like electric baseboard heat though as the input is electricity, but the heat does not come from the electricity.
“It comes through a process of refrigeration,” explained Harbison. “It is a heating/air conditioning unit that works on a refrigerant cycle. You are getting air conditioning as an added benefit virtually at no cost.”
On a heat pump installation, there are two essential pieces, the outdoor unit that is the condenser where the refrigerant is condensed and air exchange takes place and the indoor unit or evaporator, where the coil heats and blows warm air. The cycle works the opposite for air conditioning.
Heat pumps are sold by 9,000, 12,000, 15,000, 18,000, 24,000 and 30,000 BTU units.
“There are so many variations of these,” said Harbison. “They do have a ducted system so you can run duct work into your basement, as well.”
The practicality of heat pumps depends on the customer’s needs.
“I want what is in the customer’s best interest,” said Harbison. “One thing doesn’t fit all. I want what better suits the customer.”
Heat pumps are for space heating purposes.
“One of the things I really like about these is someone may want to heat the living room and kitchen, so it can be done with a 15,000 BTU unit,” said Harbison.
In his own home, Harbison installed a 24,000 BTU unit and positioned it so warm air blows down the hallway to his bedrooms.
“I know the bedrooms will be a little cooler,” he said. “But, I am going to get benefit to my entire house. So, homeowners can weigh their options.”
Zoning heat in a house is also plausible.
“You can heat a whole house with one of them, but in most cases, if you are going to heat your whole house you are going to have multiple units spaced out strategically through the house,” explained Harbison. “We can do a condenser to multiple evaporators – sometimes not as efficient to do it that way or not as cost-effective — whereas it would be more efficient to do a condenser to an evaporator in one section and a condenser and evaporator in another section.”
A homeowner can put in a unit to heat just the space they spend the majority of time in. For example, the living area. That probably can be heated efficiently by a 15,000 BTU or smaller, depending on the square footage.
“If you wanted to zone a little bit more, you can add a smaller one or two smaller ones in another year to heat the bedrooms or another room,” Harbison added.
Heat pumps can be installed on single and multiple story homes.
“We mount the condenser on the ground and we run lines up the side of a house inside a decorative enclosure called slim duct,” said Harbison. “You actually don’t even see the slim duct unless you get right up to it. They come in a variety of colors, too.”
Overall, heat pumps will return a savings for the homeowner.
“They have a relatively low installation cost, super efficient and very little maintenance,” said Harbison.
The cost of installing a heat pump can run between $2,600 to $3,800 as an average depending on what needs to be done at the site. Maintenance required is once a year cleaning of the filter and making sure outdoor unit is free of debris.
“It takes a homeowner 20 to 30 minutes once a year,” said Harbison. “Heat pumps are a really super efficient unit that is affordable to buy.”
Efficiency Maine offers a $500 mail-in rebate on ductless heat pumps. To learn more about heat pumps or alternate sources of energy, call Harbison Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning at 532-2600. Contact Harbison for an estimate.
