Should you buy a heat pump?

For the first time in history, heat pump sales in the U.S. outpaced the sale of gas furnaces in 2022 — and global sales grew by 11 percent. Over the last few years, heat pumps have risen in popularity, in part spurred by incentives laid out by the Inflation Reduction Act. Because heat pumps are an eco-friendly and efficient way to heat and cool your home, they’ve become popular with homeowners who are looking to reduce their carbon footprint, building owners looking for more efficient HVAC solutions, and with governments looking for ways to speed the transition away from fossil fuels and track toward decarbonization.

So, what exactly is a heat pump? “It’s a high-efficiency electric system that can provide heating and cooling,” says Dom Lempereur, the chief of engineering at BlocPower, a climate tech company. “And we don’t need fossil fuels, like natural gas, to operate one. No pollution is being created.”

There are a number of different types of heat pumps, but they all operate in a similar way. They’re essentially two-way air conditioners that move heat energy back and forth: In the winter they draw heat energy from the outside air and move it inside, and in the summer they pull heat from inside and push cool air back in. This air can be distributed via forced air or ducts that already exist, or through wall units called mini-splits. The main difference between heat pumps is how they extract heat, which is either from the air, water, or the ground.

“What’s very different from a traditional boiler or furnace is the fact that there’s no combustion,” Lempereur says. A furnace or boiler generates heat by burning fuel. Since heat pumps just transfer heat, they can operate more efficiently, and that’s precisely why they can go a long way in reducing household emissions. For example, with one kilowatt hour of electricity purchased from the grid, a heat pump can provide two to three times that amount of energy converted into heat — making them 300 percent efficient, compared to a furnace or boiler that’s only up to 100 percent efficient at best.

The first reason to consider a heat pump is because it is good for the planet. A staggering 40 percent of global emissions come from buildings, and the individual choices we make — like how we heat and cool our homes — account for 38 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. In the U.S. alone, more than half of all households use natural gas to heat their homes, so switching to cleaner, low- or zero-carbon alternatives can be a critical step forward on the individual level.

“How can we bring about a cleaner environment? This is a technology that can help do that,” Lempereur says. “We can really reduce the amount of pollution that we have today dramatically.”

Beyond their environmental impact, heat pumps offer a lot of other benefits. Most heat pumps use inverter technology, which allows them to run continuously at a low setting and maintain a steady, precise temperature throughout the house. With furnaces, there are often hot or cold spots and they operate by noisily kicking on and off. In addition to added comfort and control, heat pump indoor units’ built-in air filtration helps create healthier indoor air quality. Since they are more energy efficient than furnaces, boilers, and window AC units, heat pumps use less energy, which translates into savings on energy bills.

There’s also a common misconception that heat pumps don’t work well in cold climates, but technology has improved dramatically in recent years and heat pumps can now in fact operate efficiently in below-freezing temperatures. Midea’s EVOX DOE CCHP Challenge model, for example, can operate continuously in temperatures as cold as -31 degrees Fahrenheit, and the brand’s other heat pumps can provide a stable output down to -22 degrees Fahrenheit.

What also sets Midea’s models apart is the use of ducted central heat pumps. While most of the existing heat pump systems in the U.S market today are mini-split heat pumps, Midea’s pump systems have a higher capacity to cover a larger floor plan, and even the entire house.

One state where financial incentives have spurred heat pump adoption is Maine. Over 100,000 heat pumps have been installed in Maine — a state with fewer than 600,000 homes — due to rebates from the quasi-state agency Efficiency Maine. In the state, homeowners can get a rebate of up to $8,000, depending on their income, combined with the federal tax credit of 30 percent (or up to $2,000) for installing a heat pump.

“The fact that there are incentives available to install heat pumps is critical,” Lempereur says. In many cases, heat pumps are more expensive than, say, a furnace, and reducing the upfront cost is important to encourage adoption. “Depending on where you live, it can vary from maybe five to 10 percent of the investment cost to 50 percent of the cost. Now is a very good time to look into heat pumps because of the availability of those incentives.”

In some areas, homeowners can save an average of $950 a year by making the switch from oil heat. In Colorado, for example, the average annual savings per household when installing a high-efficiency heat pump is $1,183, in North Carolina it’s $966, and in Florida it’s $472. You can find your state’s programs and areas of savings here.

There are a lot of different options available such as air-source heat pumps, cold climate pumps, hybrid heat pumps, mini splits, and geothermal heat pumps. Midea EVOX heat pumps, for example, are designed for easy adoption and can be integrated into a home’s existing structure, which eliminates the need to replace the entire HVAC system. The system includes smart-home features like Wi-Fi controls and voice commands, and its “staged auxiliary heaters” help balance rapid heating with energy savings. Midea systems also rank in the highest tier for energy efficiency from the Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE), which means they qualify for almost all of the rebate programs available.

Midea Multi-Zone heat pumps offer more sustainable options to heat and cool, and allow for total customization based on room sizes and designs. This makes it easier to heat or cool areas that are traditionally harder (like a garage) or spaces that are just used less frequently. That level of customization and control means that each room can be adjusted to the desired temperature, and you can decide to heat and cool only the rooms that are in use, which saves energy. Some multi-zone systems (Midea Multi-zone is among the few on the market) can connect multiple indoor units — ducts, high wall splits, one-way cassettes, and consoles — to one single outdoor unit, and allow you to do things like add ductless units to a ducted system.

Midea’s Packaged Window Heat Pumps are designed for DIY, making them quick to install and an easy way to transition toward electrification in a cost-effective way. In fact, last year, Midea received a contract to produce 30,000 of its Packaged Window Heat Pumps for New York City Public Housing facilities as part of the city’s goal to decarbonize its buildings.

Before purchasing a heat pump, be sure to explore local and federal subsidies, and hire a trusted contractor who is well-versed in heat pumps. Midea offers easy heat pump upgrade solutions, and boasts a diverse product line so you can find just what you need to take advantage of these efficient and effective heating and cooling systems. Installing a heat pump and helping reduce your environmental footprint is something that you — and your wallet — can feel good about.