Ambient Air Solutions Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Heat Pumps’

It’s Time to Think About Scheduling Heat Pump Maintenance

Monday, February 19th, 2024
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If you’re a regular reader of our blog, by now you probably know that we recommend heat pump maintenance twice a year: once in the spring and once in the fall. That’s because heat pumps need maintenance before the start of the cooling season and heating season.

However, here in Bozeman, MT, our heating season runs longer than in other parts of the country. Homeowners could very well start using their heat pumps in September for heating and not make the switch to cooling power until May! That means your heat pump’s heating season could very well be nine months long.

That’s why you could need heat pump maintenance before the official arrival of spring. Keep reading to learn why it’s time to think about scheduling heat pump service.

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What Are Cold Climate Heat Pumps?

Monday, August 21st, 2023

Many homeowners in Montana wonder if a heat pump will be enough to heat their homes on the coldest winter days. A popular option for homeowners who want a heat pump but who don’t have a backup heating source like a fireplace has been a dual-fuel system. This consists of a heat pump along with a backup heating source such as a furnace. 

However, cold climate heat pumps are being designed to work in climates such as ours where temperatures are in the single digits for many days of the year. Cold climate heat pumps (CCHPs) go by several names including high efficiency heat pumps and cold weather heat pumps. Let’s learn more about these systems below so you can decide if heat pump installation is right for you. 

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Are Heat Pumps Suitable for Montana’s Winters?

Monday, June 12th, 2023

While heat pumps have surged in popularity over the last few years, some misinformation about them has also increased. Perhaps it’s because the name “heat pump” is a bit of a misnomer.

Some people think they “pump heat” and that’s all they do when in fact they supply both heating and cooling. And the heat being pumped isn’t the heat it’s delivering to a home. Heat pumps tap into ambient air, extract heat from that air, and move it into the home.

That leads us to one of the biggest misconceptions about heat pumps: that they don’t work well in cold-weather climates. Many people wonder, how can a heat pump extract heat from the air when it’s below freezing?

Even on a day with below-freezing temperatures, there’s still enough heat in the air for a heat pump to work effectively. According to the city of Bozeman’s website, “Even in cold air, there is still heat available. Heat pump technology has significantly advanced in recent years. Some cold climate heat pumps can operate at temperatures down to -15° F. When selecting a heat pump, it’s important to ensure you’re selecting a cold climate heat pump.”

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Pay Attention to the SEER Rating

Monday, October 5th, 2020

SEER ratings are tools to measure how efficient your air conditioner or heat pump is. While we might be winding down our air conditioners for the year, here are likely plenty of homeowners that have just taken the dive into heat pump technology. Heat pumps function all year round, so it’s important to remember that SEER rating will affect your winter electrical bills as well as your summer ones!

So, let’s talk about what the SEER rating of your heat pump means for the months going forward. Any HVAC company in Easy Helena, MT will sell you a heat pump, but only the most authentic company will discuss exactly how efficient this type of system is. We’ll use the correct terminology, bring in a little bit of science, and ensure that you leave this conversation feeling better about your heat pump’s efficiency ratio.

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Is Your Heat Pump Stuck in Cooling Mode?

Monday, August 24th, 2020

We love our heat pumps here in Montana. They’re the perfect solution to our hot summers. They can be wonderful additions to homes and provide energy-efficient solutions that can keep us comfortable. Honestly, if you haven’t looked into heat pump technology, we highly recommend it.

For those of us who do have heat pumps, we’d like to talk about one of the leading problems we see with these kinds of systems. As durable and reliable as they might be, there’s one common problem that you don’t get with a furnace or a central air conditioner—a stuck reversal valve. Near the end of the summer, you might go to your heat pump to switch it from cooling to heating mode, only to be surprised by some reluctance by the unit.

A heat pump in Bozeman, MT isn’t supposed to get stuck, and we urge you to call us for repairs. Let’s talk about why this happens.

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Save Money with a Heat Pump

Monday, January 27th, 2020
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We know, your friends or neighbors will tell you that heat pumps actually cost money to invest in—but that’s only one side of the coin. What people don’t often know, is that from usage costs to increases in efficiency, and versatile cooling as well, heat pumps can save an incredible amount of money and end up paying for themselves when homeowners have them correctly installed.

While we pride ourselves on being trustworthy, we understand that not everyone out there will just take our word for it. That’s why we’d like to go into a little bit of detail about how a heat pump increases efficiency, and where exactly its strengths lie, so that we can fully inform you on whether or not it might be right for your home. Don’t pass up the chance to install a heat pump in Bozeman, MT unless you’re absolutely sure that it wouldn’t work for your home.

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