One homeowner's skepticism about heat pump performance in cold weather generated some lively discussion around dispelling this long-standing myth.
Posting to the r/hvacadvice forum, the homeowner shared their concerns based on a disappointing experience with a 2001 heat pump system, asking if modern technology had really improved all that much.
"I had two winters in a row where the temperatures got down to negative single digits for three days to a week or so. I couldn't see my breath in the house, but it definitely wasn't comfortable," they shared, noting they also reside two hours southeast of Chicago.
"Honestly, I am trying to sort through all of this hype," they added.
Fellow Redditors were quick to set the record straight with their own real-world experiences. "Mitsubishi hyper heat holds its heating capacity down to 5F, so cold climate heat pumps have improved drastically since 2001," one commenter noted. They added that, for the Chicagoland area, a properly sized system "might lose some capacity" only about 35 hours per year during extreme cold.
To be sure, modern heat pump technology has advanced dramatically since 2001, offering reliable comfort in even extreme cold and cutting your energy expenditures. Upgrading your heating and cooling systems can save you big bucks on utility bills while protecting you against rising energy prices. You can check out this HVAC Explorer to help you understand your options and save up to 50% on energy bills, including zero-money-down subscription options.
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Another Redditor highlighted the technological leap in heat pumps in recent decades:
Stay warm all winter long with the Apple of intelligent space heaters Kelvin is the Apple of space heaters, designed for energy efficiency and maximum comfort. It's completely silent and intelligently controlled, with setup taking just 5 minutes. Built from premium materials like aluminum and glass, Kelvin works beautifully as a full-home heating system or as the perfect solution for that one room that never feels warm enough. |
"Your system in 2001 was probably a single-stage R22 system. Those have very low output below freezing. In other words a new cold climate one will work maybe 30 degrees colder than your old one. On top of that the newer one will have fan controls which reduce blower speed when it's not putting out as much heat, reducing the cold air effect."
A Canadian Redditor shared their impressive results as well, stating, "We regularly hit -25-30 degrees Celsius (-4 to -22 degrees Fahrenheit), sometimes as cold as -40 degrees Celsius. I have a small backup coil in my Cold Climate Heat Pump, but so far in four winters of using it, I've never needed the backup unit."
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