Heat Pump

Heating and cooling your home is usually cheaper when utilizing a heat pump system, with new technology right on the horizon, it may be even less expensive.

A company based out of chilly, new England - Maine to be exact, believes they have the answer for both energy efficiency and comfort. I found the article on green energy news - here: http://www.green-energy-news.com/arch/nrgs2007/20070111.html But please also visit the company's site for more information: Hallowell International http://www.gotohallowell.com as well as the:US Green Building Council http://www.usgbc.org.

The Hallowell company has devised a heat pump that uses two different systems. The first system is for basic air conditioning. It utilizes a multi-phase condensing unit to run at the most efficient phase until the home is cooled to the set point on the thermostat. The heating, is where most heat pumps run into problems. Either they are not warm enough -(especially in cooler areas when the temperature drops below 30 degrees Fahrenheit) or their 'back-up' heating systems are using too much gas and therefore eliminating the cost efficiency. However, the Hallowell's heat pump does not use the traditional form of "extra" heating. Instead, Hallowell uses another technique:

"The company has added a second compressor in its ACHP to boost the performance of the first and primary compressor in cold temperatures. The company calls the system Opti-Cycle (tm). The company says their system does not require back-up electric heat for operation in below freezing temperatures. It will provide heat with Opti-Cycle as low as minus 30 F, according to the company website. The company also says that air flowing from registers is as high as 120 degrees: warm enough to feel warm.

If the hassle is eliminated from heat pumps - it might just be a perfect combination of staying comfortable and keeping money in your wallet.