Heat pump myths busted

Two recent stories about heat pumps on CBC.ca/nb drew lots of online comments and revealed some confusion about the units.

• Heat pump buyers beware of bad installation deals
• Heat pump complaints flooding Better Business Bureau

Ted White teaches engineering technology at the New Brunswick Community College andknows a lotabout heat pumps. White read those comments and came upwith sixheatpump myths that needed to be busted.

Myth No.1: Anybody Can Install One

Many people can. But, says White, it's all about the warranty.

"The first thing we looked at was making sure you have a reputable installer. Because of warranties. Awarranty is not going to be worth anything if you don't have your installer around in 10 years, whensomething happens."

Myth No.2: All houses treated the same

"Actually, you need a proper design and sizing for your home.

When you take a basic bungalow layout, you're going to have a main area that's open. This works reallywell for a heat pump. We're dumping a lot of heat into a big open area. And we can let the heat migrate.

"Make sure you keep the doors to your other rooms open."

Houses that are divided up into lots of little roomsoften need more than one air handler, which is the part of the unit inside the home.Thiscan make it less economical.

If you heat through hot air vents in the floor, you can replace your oil system, or your gas system with aductedpump system. It is a bigger system, with a bigger price tag.

Myth No. 3:Bigger is better

"Getting a bigger unit isn't going to help push the heat through, "Ted White says. "It will just make oneroom hotter."

If you need to heat a big house, you may need multiple air handling units in differentareas of the house to cover it completely.

Myth No. 4 You need a really good SEER rating

"Your SEER rating is for the cooling side, and that's only important in the summer. Your heating system,which is your HSPFheating seasonal performance factorand that's the one that's most important to usin the Maritimes because heating is more important to us than cooling costs."

Myth No.5: Pumps save most money in winter

"What we want to look at is how efficient it is in the spring and fall, and that's where we're going tomake most of our money back on our system. In the really cold months, that's when it's going to beabout the same as a baseboard."

Myth No. 6: A heat pump is all you need

"The older systems don't produce heat efficiently in lower-than-rated temperatures. So when it dipsbelow the temperature it's rated for, you would be better to shut it off, and turn on your back-upsource. You won't save any money keeping it running.

"With the latest systems you don't have to shut off the heat pumps when you go below what they arerated for. Just have your electric or supplementary system set to kick in if the temperature drops pastthe set point in your house. With those pumps, it's better to continue to get the most heat out of yourheat pump and just supplement it with your backup."

Canadian Mortgage and Housing has a good checklist if you need more: http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/inpr/su/sufepr/sufepr_001.cfm