Heat pumps are growing in popularity, but not everybody is sold on the concept, including a homeowner in Canada who turned to Reddit for advice on whether they should upgrade.
In the r/heatpumps, the Vancouver-based poster laid out their concerns, such as the financial burden of installing a heat pump. They were quoted 15,300-19,550 Canadian dollars ($11,030-14,093) and wondered if a loan of $20,000 for five years with a 10% interest rate — or $450 per month — would be worthwhile since their heating bill was $136 with natural gas.
A commenter addressed that concern, explaining that, like the United States, there are government incentives available to offset costs and that "your $135 gas bill will go away, and not be replaced by $135 more power cost."
Other concerns were fluctuating energy rates and the poster's satisfaction with their system, which they'd had for 40 years.
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"People want AC. Your 40 year old furnace can't provide that, so comparing install costs of a heating appliance to a heating AND cooling appliance makes no sense to most people," a Redditor responded.
Heating your home makes up a huge portion of your energy bills, and making an upgrade to a heat pump can be a major money saver. As the one commenter pointed out, heat pumps handle both heating and cooling, and a heat pump can reduce your electricity use for heating by 75%, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, as well as dehumidify better than standard air conditioning. That higher efficiency can save you $1,000 yearly.
The OP was also concerned about a potential strain on resources, noting that in British Columbia, around a fifth of energy was imported and that hydroelectric power from dams may be limited due to drought conditions.
Switching to a heat pump can actually mitigate environmental impacts by reducing reliance on dirty energy, which emits pollution that contributes to the warming of the planet, which in turn leads to extreme weather conditions. According to the International Energy Agency, heat pumps cut heat-trapping gas pollution by at least 20% compared to gas furnaces.
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The prospect of making a major change to your HVAC is understandably daunting, but there are resources to help find the best options, including via Mitsubishi, which can connect you with professionals in its trusted network to help you install the most efficient HVAC for your home.
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