What do you think about heat pumps? Do they cool as good as other central Air Conditioning?

Question

I am looking to buy a house and I have noticed that some are listed as having a heat pump for air and heat. I had never heard of a heat pump before but I have done some research on them now. I am wondering if anyone that has a heat pump would tell me some pros and cons about using them for cooling and heating.
Thanks!

Answer 1

I don't like heat pumps in Las Vegas, they only work good in warm winter place.

Answer 2

An air conditioner IS a heat pump. It's designed to move heat in one direction only - from inside to the outside.

The heat pump you describe sounds like it's designed to move heat in both directions. That's good, as it usually takes less energy to move heat from one area to another than it costs to heat that area in the first place.

The drawback is that heat pumps are only effective to a certain point. I think once it's about 30 to 40 degrees outside, they don't work well for heating a house - there's not enough heat for them to capture it. At that point, you need another way to heat the house.

Another thing to consider is who in the area can service it, and what kind of medium is used to transport the heat. A friend has a ground-water source heat pump to heat his house. It draws water from a well, extracts the heat, and discharges the water into a pond. When it works, his winter heating bill (in Michigan) runs less than $50 per month. But when it breaks down, it costs him a lot to get it fixed. He has a backup furnace to warm the house. If you have anything like this, you need to get the maintenance records of the system, or at least find out who has done the annual maintenance on it.

Answer 3

I have had experience with heat pumps at my parents home in North Mississippi and wouldn't install it at mine!
They complain that it doesn't cool enough in the summer and isn't that great for heating in the winter... and it doesn't really get all that cold here!
Younger brother building his home next door considered heat pump and went with the central heat and air instead.
Their heat pump compressor went out a couple of years ago and had it repaired, it seemed to work a little better with the newer compressor installed. Techs said they had improved the design for more efficiency.
I did home repair/remodel/construction, certified as an HVAC technician and would not install one in my home.
One last thought, an AC unit will chill approximately 20 degrees from the temperature of the incoming air. That means, the cooler your house gets, the colder the air coming from the vents will be! Like putting your car AC on 'recirculate'.
Hope this helps!