'Moral of the story: Friends don’t let friends upgrade fossil fuel furnaces without investigating heat pump solutions'
| 11 Nov 2019 | 03:19
As lead volunteer for the HeatSmart Warwick campaign, I’ve spent a good deal of time pondering heat pumps over the last eight months.
The HeatSmart campaign has been extended to November 30, so I’d like to share a couple insights about heat pumps with homeowners.
Many of us remember typing on manual typewriters and how great it was when electric typewriters came along.
But after personal computers arrived, who would ever spend money on an electric typewriter?
Over the last 5-10 years, the technology behind heat pumps has improved to the point where they can comfortably and efficiently heat a home in the Warwick Valley through the winter.
And during the summer they can cool a home much less expensively than window air conditioners or a central air system.
As heat pumps continue to improve, how many years will it be before all of the latest and greatest fossil fuel furnaces look something like the latest and greatest IBM Selectric?
Nowadays, the up-front cost for heat pumps is higher than for other furnaces, but check out the new online heating comparison calculator from O&R to see how low the operating costs would be for your home.
Heat pumps are more environmentally friendly than fossil fuel furnaces, because they run on electricity, the production of which is much cleaner than burning a fossil fuel in your home - and it would be even cleaner and cheaper if you go solar.
Moral of the story: Friends don’t let friends upgrade fossil fuel furnaces without investigating heat pump solutions. Especially for fuel oil and propane furnaces, ownership costs are already much lower, but if you go solar and lock in a low cost for electricity, heat pumps are even more cost effective than heating with natural gas.
To learn more, call 914-302-7300 (ext. 1) for free homeowner support and campaign discounts before November 30 or send an email to sustainablewarwick5@gmail.com.
Regards,
Michael Helme
Warwick
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