What Is A Furnace?
We expect most of our readers to be familiar with a furnace! In the simplest of terms, a furnace converts fuel into heat for your home. This is completed through a burner that burns the fuel (oil or gas), a heat exchanger and blower that distributes the newly made heat, and a flue that exhausts the dangerous gas that is created from burning the fuel.
What Is A Heat Pump?
This is the one we don’t expect all of our readers to be familiar with… what is a heat pump? A heat pump is an all-in-one solution that is capable of heating your home during the colder months and cooling your home during the hotter months. This process is always completed through the transfer of hot air (hence the name “heat pump”). A heat pump removes the hot air from your home during the summer and introduces hot air to your home during the winter.
Which One Is More Capable of Heating
A furnace is a more capable solution when it comes to heat output. The heat pump is directly dependent on the air that is outside your home. This means that during days where the temperature drops below freezing, the heat pump will have a harder time keeping up. Since the furnace operates with an independent fuel source, the outdoor temperature does not dictate its ability to perform.
Which One Is More Energy-Efficient
A heat pump is a more energy-efficient solution for your home. The heat pump does not require the burning of fuel and only needs electricity to repurpose the outdoor air into heat for your home. A Trane Heat Pump is capable of outputting up to 300% more energy than it consumes.
Which One Is Better Suited to the Windsor-Essex Climate?
If you are looking for a single heating solution, Absolute Comfort has to recommend a furnace for the Windsor-Essex winters. However, if you want to take your home’s heating to the next level, you can install a dual heat pump & furnace. This will enable your home to experience the energy efficiency benefits of a heat pump during the summer, spring, and fall while getting the comfort of a furnace during the cold winter months!We hope this helps all the Windsor-Essex homeowners with choosing the appropriate heating system that works for their needs! You can take this a step further and have an Absolute Comfort Home Comfort Specialist complete a free in-home consultation for a personalized solution.