How much a new ductless mini-split system will cost you depends on a lot of factors. Some you might know, or could guess, like how big your home is, or where you live. But some things, like unexpected electrical upgrades or rebates, are trickier. 

This complexity can be frustrating. That’s why we embarked on a months-long effort to get real numbers on how much mini-splits and other types of heat pumps cost. 

We surveyed 125 homeowners across the United States and Canada, reviewed previous research, spoke with experienced installers, and analyzed publicly available data from states like Massachusetts and California. Here’s what we learned: 

Average cost of a mini-split

According to our survey and analysis of other data, homeowners can expect a mini-split installation to cost between $7,000 and $25,000, depending on the number of zones.

Based on this research, the average cost of a mini-split is about $12,000, after rebates.

What impacts mini-split costs most?

The biggest mini-split installation cost factor is the number of zones you choose to install. In other words, how many indoor units, or “heads”, do you want?

Here’s how much the average homeowner paid based on the number of mini-split zones:

• One zone: $7,101
• Two zones: $11,749
• Three zones: $13,827
• Four zones: $18,338
• Five or more zones: $26,573

The reason for these cost differences is simple: more zones require more labor, equipment, and parts. The outdoor unit needed for heating and cooling gets pricier as you add indoor units, especially once you move past the single-zone models. And each mini-split unit inside your house costs about $1,000-$2,000.

The outdoor compressor and indoor heads are “the major cost in a mini-split system,” said David Richardson, a heat pump installer and co-founder of Elephant Energy.

But there are certainly other costs, too. If your home has 3-5 zones, some of those zones will be a significant distance from the outdoor unit. Running the necessary refrigerant, electricity, and drainage lines to those indoor units requires labor and materials. And it could introduce complications with walls, ceilings, wiring, or other work that might need a sub-contractor, Richardson said. 

These kinds of complications could add up to $5,000 in extra labor costs on a tricky job, Richardson said.

Here are the other things to consider when considering a mini-split system, whether for a new or existing home.

Other factors that can affect mini-split costs

Climate

Modern heat pumps can do amazing work in cold climates, but that innovation comes at a cost. If your winters regularly take you into sub-freezing temperatures, or even into negative temperatures, you need a suitable outdoor unit. And those cost more money.

If your home needed a 3-ton (36,000 BTU) heat pump, and your winter temperatures regularly dipped below 5 degrees Fahrenheit, you might want one of Mitsubishi’s Hyper Heating (H2i) heat pumps. A 3-ton Hyper Heating unit costs about $6,400—and that’s before any parts or labor.

But if your region is almost always above 5F, you could save around $1,200 buying a 3-ton Daikin mini-split, instead. And you can likely find even more affordable models, if your winters stay above 10 or 20F.

So the colder your winters, the more you can expect to pay for a heat pump. In fact, according to our survey, homeowners in the Northeast pay about 15% more on average for heat pumps than homeowners in the South.

Rebates and incentives

If you live in a state that encourages efficient, less carbon-intense heating and cooling systems, there’s a chance installing a mini-split heat pump means rebates. 

The average homeowner in our survey received $2,000 in rebates for their mini-split installation. Homeowners that installed ductless mini-splits in Massachusetts in recent years received an average of about $4,000 each in rebates. In some places, these rebates alone could make up for the higher upfront cost over traditional A/C and furnace systems.

Heat pump installer David Richardson advises homeowners to talk with their installer, and check with their state and local governments and utilities, to have as much knowledge as possible about exactly what qualifies for a rebate. A 2.5-ton outdoor compressor purchase may trigger a partial rebate, a 3-ton unit from the same line a full rebate, and then a 3.5-ton unit no rebate at all, Richardson noted. A small design change could mean a big shift in project costs.

Electrical upgrades

Removing fossil fuels and electrifying your home makes good environmental sense, and often saves you big money over time. Before you can start, however, your home needs the necessary power.

Whether your home will require an upgraded electrical panel, or need new circuits and wires, depends on a number of factors. Key among them is how many large items in your home—hot water heaters, hot tubs, EV chargers—could need power at once, along with your outdoor unit and each indoor unit.

An upgrade is not an inevitability, however. Among the 48 ductless Massachusetts heat pump installations we analyzed, only eight (17%) required an electrical panel upgrade. And those systems mostly replaced gas furnaces and water boilers, which previously drew little to no electrical power. Richardson said that the vast majority of heat pump installations he’s worked on could be made to fit a home with a 100-amp service panel.

Still, there are edge cases and exceptions. You may need to run a 240-volt line to the outdoor compressor. And as with indoor units, complicated routes through tricky homes can add costs.

How to reduce the cost of a mini-split installation

Consider hybrid heating options

One way to reduce the cost of a mini-split installation, especially in cold climates, is to install a “hybrid” or “dual-fuel” system. Let’s take a look at how that works. 

Earlier we mentioned that more mini-split heads results in a higher cost. In a hybrid configuration, you install just one or two heads and use another system, like a wood stove or your existing gas furnace, as backup on the coldest days. 

This kind of configuration can save hundreds of dollars a year on general heating costs, but keep the upfront installation costs low with a smaller equipment bill.

That kind of hunkered-down, hard-winter scenario won’t work for everyone, but it’s an example of how mini-splits aren’t an all-or-nothing proposition. If a whole-home mini-split installation is too expensive, given the costs mentioned in this guide, a partial install can still save you money–and garner rebates.

Improve your home’s insulation and envelope

Another way to reduce the cost of your mini-split installation is to first invest in insulation and air sealing so you can get by with a smaller outdoor unit and less zones.

The best way to do this is to get an energy audit of your home or find a home performance contractor in your area. Through tools like a blower door test, thermal imaging, and climate and thermostat data, they can tell you how much heating your home really needs—a “Manual J Load Calculation.” You may be able to lower that number, and need fewer indoor units or a smaller outdoor unit.

Read more about how Carbon Switch founder Michael Thomas discovered his home’s true heating and cooling needs in our heat pump sizing guide.

The post How Much Does a Mini-Split Installation Cost? appeared first on Carbon Switch.

Ask how much a heat pump costs and you’ll likely receive more questions than answers. Where do you live? How big is your home? Do you need a ducted system or ductless mini-splits? Are there rebates in your state? What’s your electrical panel setup?

But hearing an answer like “It depends” is frustrating when you’re eager to move ahead. That’s why we embarked on a months-long effort to provide more context and data on how much heat pumps and mini-splits cost. 

We surveyed 125 homeowners across the United States and Canada, reviewed previous research, spoke with experienced installers, and analyzed publicly available data from states like Massachusetts and California. Here’s what we learned: 

Average cost of a heat pump

According to our survey and analysis of other data, homeowners can expect a heat pump installation to cost between $3,500 and $20,000, depending on the size of their home, with an average cost of about $14,000, after rebates. 

Ductless mini-split installations cost between $7,000 and $25,000, depending on the number of zones, with an average cost of just over $12,000, after rebates. 

What impacts heat pump costs most?

Home size

Unsurprisingly, the biggest heat pump installation cost factor is home size. In our survey, here’s how much the average homeowner paid based on their home’s square footage: 

• Less than 1,000 square feet: $3,586
• Between 1,000 and 1,500 square feet: $11,749
• Between 1,500 and 2,000 square feet: $16,933
• Between 2,000-2,500 square feet: $17,826
• More than 2,000 square feet: $19,117 

Across all the homeowners we surveyed, there was a sizable difference in the cost per square foot. More than half of homeowners paid between $4-10 per square foot, with the most common installation costing between $4-6 per square foot. 

It’s worth noting that the sample size of homes under 1,000 square feet was very small in our survey, at just under 10 homes. When we analyzed publicly available data on heat pump costs in Massachusetts and California (the rare states that actually disclose where their rebate dollars go), we found that homes under 1,000 square feet paid about $9,000 and $12,774 respectively. 

Number of zones

The second most influential factor in our survey was the number of zones a homeowner installed. Here’s how much the average homeowner paid based on the number of mini-split zones:

• 1 zone: $7,101
• 2 zones: $11,749
• 3 zones: $13,827
• 4 zones: $18,338
• 5+ zones: $26,573

The reason for these cost differences is simple: more zones require more labor, equipment, and parts. The outdoor unit needed for heating and cooling gets pricier as you add indoor units, especially once you move past the single-zone models. And each mini-split unit inside your house costs about $1,000-$2,000.

In addition to those costs, the larger the home, the more drywall and electrical work required to connect the units, said David Richardson, a heat pump installer and co-founder of Elephant Energy. 

Finally, older homes switching to heat pumps may have to upgrade their electrical panel to accommodate the new power demands. More on that just a bit further on.

Location

Another major factor that affects the cost of heat pump installations is the location of a home. 

The average homeowner we surveyed paid $8.01 per square foot, after rebates. But among the states we analyzed, we saw a range of $6.75 per square foot (Minnesota) to $9.64 per square foot (Colorado). 

It’s worth noting here again that our sample size was relatively small. Given that no one else has done a state-by-state comparison of heat pump costs, it’s hard to say how representative our data is. 

In addition to comparing individual states, we compared costs across different regions of the United States. Across the south, where heat pumps are more common, costs averaged $7.33 per square foot. In the midwest, the average was $7.44 per square foot. Meanwhile, in the Northeast and West, costs were over $8 per square foot.

But those are averages. We recently spoke with an installer in Westchester, New York, one of the most expensive places to live in the US. The average heat pump they install costs more than $30,000. We’ve heard similar stories of high installation costs and quotes in San Francisco.

Rebates and incentives

One of the biggest wildcards in the heat pump cost equation is whether or not you qualify for rebates and incentives. This depends largely on which state and utility service area you live in.

In our survey, the rebates homeowners received ranged from $0 to as much as $14,000, with an average rebate of about $1,500. 

Our survey, and Massachusetts’ database, focus on the cost of installations after rebates and other incentives. State by state, utility by utility, these can make a big difference in the cost of your system. 

In Massachusetts, homeowners can receive up to $10,000 in rebates. Even if your state doesn’t seem to offer rebates, check with your energy provider. Central Hudson (upstate NY) customers can receive $1,000 per 10,000 BTUs if they replace a fossil fuel heating source, so at least $3,000 for a typical 3-ton system. Even in conservative South Dakota utilities offer rebates.

Check the DSIRE database as a starting point in your search for state, local, and utility incentives, but be sure to look further, too.

New versus old homes

Another big difference we found in our survey was the cost of heat pumps in new construction homes compared to existing homes. 

In our survey, the average heat pump in new home construction was $7,384 after rebates and $6.54 per square foot. By comparison, the average heat pump installed in an existing home was $15,113 after rebates and $8.15 per square foot.

So why do these costs vary?

Building a new home allows a developer or homeowner to plan ahead. They can install the right electrical service to support an electrified home. Ducts and mini-split lines can be run while the walls are still open. And the home can have exactly as many vents or indoor units as are needed.

Prior heating and cooling system

One factor that didn’t affect the average cost of installation as much as we expected was what equipment homeowners were replacing. 

Replacing a fossil fuel heating system with an electric heat pump can add electrical work and upgrade costs to your HVAC tab. That’s part of the reason installations in the South are less expensive: the homes are often already wired for electrical heating.

But our survey didn’t show a large difference in installation costs. Here’s how much the average homeowner spent based on what type of equipment they replaced:

• Fuel oil heating system: $11,640
• Central air conditioner: $14,572
• Natural gas heating system: $15,161
• Propane heating system: $16,000
• Other heating system: $17,451

As you can see, the averages didn’t vary much, with one exception: fuel oil. The main reason for this is the fuel-switching incentives offered by states and utilities. In New York, you can get $2,500 per heating ton in rebates if you switch from gas, propane or fuel oil. In British Columbia, there are rebates up to $11,000 for fossil fuel replacements.

Two more factors to consider

Existing ducts and their condition

One factor we didn’t ask about in our survey data, but heard about from installers that we spoke to, is the condition of a home’s ducts. 

Installing new ductwork, or doing major renovations to ducts, is very expensive. It’s a big commitment to open up your home’s walls or ceilings. But if your home has reasonably functional ducts where it needs them, then replacing your furnace and central air conditioning is more of a simple equipment change, hence you can expect lower costs.

Don’t get us wrong–money spent on good duct efficiency is money well spent. Most homes lose 20-30% of their cooling capability in ducts, according to Energy Star. But properly running new duct channels, or fixing what’s there, can add upfront costs.

Electrical panel upgrade

Another cost factor for some owners of older homes, or homes that mainly relied on fuel sources before a heat pump, is electrical upgrades.

Electrifying your home’s HVAC system can mean cash savings for you, and carbon savings for the planet. But your home has to be able to handle a big new electrical device. If not, upgrading your panel and service adds cost.

If you’re switching from natural gas, propane or fuel oil, you should expect at least some electrical costs, to provide the plugs and lines needed for the new equipment. But as we mentioned above, in many states switching fuels will make your home qualify for big rebates.

In part five of his Electrify Everything course, Nate Adams says that, generally, a home with 200-amp service can cover a central HVAC system, with backup heat. 100 amps can work, but it depends on what else is regularly drawing power in the home.

Richardson said that in the Boulder, Colorado area, he hasn’t had to upgrade a single 100-amp home in recent memory. Proving that a home can handle the typical load of a heat pump requires a home inventory and real-time data. But homes built to handle incandescent bulbs often have a good bit of room left after a home switches to LEDs.

As with your home heating load, it’s a good idea to have a professional do a full study of your home’s electrical status and needs.  

Are heat pumps worth it?

A heat pump might seem like a hassle to upgrade, tempting some to stick with just replacing the kind of system they already have. But upfront costs are only a fraction of the whole energy picture.

Heat pumps can save the average U.S. homeowner $10,000 throughout the unit’s lifetime. They replace both a furnace and an air conditioner, and they’re usually more comfortable and efficient than either of them. They free your budget from fluctuating fuel costs, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

That’s the important context for their higher upfront cost. A heat pump is usually a few thousand dollars more expensive than its rough tonnage/SEER equivalent. But it’s far more energy efficient.

If you’re comparing a heat pump versus AC, then heat pumps are the clear choice, given how much they can save you on your home’s annual heating and cooling bill. Even the high upfront cost can be offset through on-bill financing, low-to-zero interest loans offered by states and utilities, and zero-upfront cost installation companies like Sealed.

Massachusetts and California data

As a part of this research, we requested data on the cost of heat pumps from state energy efficiency program managers in California, New York, Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, and Oregon— six states with electrification goals and strong rebate programs. 

All of them responded, but only two collected data on heat pump costs: California and Massachusetts. Here’s some of what we learned analyzing their data: 

Massachusetts 

According to data collected as part of MassCEC’s Whole-Home Heat Pump Pilot, which ran from May 2019 through June 2021, the average cost of a heat pump in a Massachusetts single-family home was $17,721. 

Like our survey results, the cost varied significantly based on the size of a home. Here’s how much the average homeowner paid based on their home’s square footage: 

• Less than 1,000 square feet: $4,308
• Between 1,000 and 1,500 square feet: $10,818
• Between 1,500 and 2,000 square feet: $21,756
• Between 2,000-2,500 square feet: $20,796
• More than 2,000 square feet: $26,214 

California

California hasn’t released any public data on heat pump installation costs. But program managers at TECH Clean California sent us data based on 1,880 heat pump installations between December 2021 and May 2022. The average installation cost $17,287.

Here’s how much the average homeowner paid based on their home’s square footage: 

• Less than 1,000 square feet: $12,774
• Between 1,000 and 1,500 square feet: $14,762
• Between 1,500 and 2,000 square feet: $15,917
• Between 2,000-2,500 square feet: $18,857
• More than 2,000 square feet: $22,087

Future research and work needed

Given the importance of heat pumps as a climate solution, the lack of data on their cost is a huge problem. We reached out to the U.S. Energy Department and state programs like Efficiency Maine and Efficiency Vermont. None of them had any data on how much heat pumps actually cost. 

As we mentioned above, Massachusetts and California were the two exceptions. Massachusetts’ Clean Energy Center’s dataset is one of the best public datasets we’ve seen in this industry. California’s, while not publicly available yet, seems promising. We hope other states and federal policymakers will follow their lead. 

Our goal in producing this research was to fill some of the research void. But we’re a small team with a small budget. Our hope is that this survey and research will encourage others to one-up us with a survey 10 or 100 times the size. 

If you’re interested in talking with our team before doing your own research, you can reach out to michael@carbonswitch.com. We’d be happy to share what we learned. 

Frequently asked questions about heat pumps

What is a heat pump?

A heat pump is an appliance that can both heat and cool a home. They’re a modern, efficient replacement for homes that need both traditional air conditioning and a heating system, like a furnace, boiler, or baseboards.

We’ve detailed all the basics about heat pumps in our guide, What Is a Heat Pump?

How does a heat pump work?

The short version is that heat pumps use electricity to move heat from one place to another. In cooling mode, it’s a familiar method of moving heat inside your home to the outside, cooling your house. In heating mode, it’s a bit more interesting, as the heat pump takes heat energy from even the coldest air and delivers it inside.

You can go a bit deeper and learn more particulars about the science and efficiency in our guide to How Does a Heat Pump Work?

Will a heat pump work in really cold climates?

A heat pump can absolutely work in cold climates, even in places with bone-chilling temperatures. One brand of heat pumps can work down to -13 Fahrenheit, and more are in development. If your heat pump can’t reach those depths, you can use a backup system, like electric resistance strips, or keep a fuel-burning furnace on hand. And you’ll still get great heat for the non-record-low times of year.

For more on how heat pumps perform in uber-cold areas, check out our reviews of the best cold climate heat pumps.

What size heat pump do I need?

Picking out and pricing a heat pump isn’t as simple as matching it to your existing furnace or air conditioner. Many of the rules of thumb used by HVAC contractors can lead to over- or under-sized systems, and heat pumps benefit a home most when they can run constantly.

To learn the better methods of estimating and pricing out a heat pump, consult our full heat pump sizing guide.

The post How Much Does a Heat Pump Cost? appeared first on Carbon Switch.

Finding the best cold climate heat pump is no easy task. Look through a database like the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP) heat pump directory and you’ll find more than 30,000 models and a mind-numbing amount of specs. And while heat pumps definitely work in cold climates, if you choose the wrong model, it might struggle on the coldest days. 

In order to find the best cold climate heat pump, we talked to contractors, compared specs, and looked at what units people are actually installing in the coldest parts of the United States.

Based on our research, the best cold climate heat pump is Mitsubishi’s Hyper-Heating, or H2i. Listed as Mitsubishi’s M-Series or P-Series for home installation, these heat pumps maintain their full heating capacity down to 5F, and can produce useful heat down to -13F. 

H2i models range in HSPF ratings (heating efficiency) from 10.5 to 12, and SEER ratings (cooling efficiency) of 15 to 20. Mitsubishi’s heat pumps also maintain coefficients of performance (COP) as high as 2.88 at 5F.

Mitsubishi Hyper-Heating comes in both ducted and ductless options. And Mitsubishi is a known entity in the heat pump industry—in fact, they are one of the inventors of the technology.

Fujitsu’s cold climate heat pumps, their “AOU” series, are our pick for the second best cold climate heat pump. Their variable-speed models produce 75-95% as much heat at 5F as they do at 47F, and are rated to work down to -10F.

Fujitsu’s heat pumps range in HSPF ratings from 9.5 to 11.5, and SEER ratings from 16.5 to 20.

When we spoke to contractors and other HVAC experts, they told us that Mitsubishi and Fujitsu frequently trade spots in the best cold climate heat pump rankings. But another name that came up frequently was Daikin. Daikin’s Fit and Aurora lines have great cold climate specs. The Fit (RZQ) line can work at full heating capacity down to 5F, and is rated to work down to -4F. The relatively new Aurora (RXL) series can work down to -13F.

Aurora Fit heat pumps have HSPF ratings between 9 and 10.5, and SEER between 16 and 18.5.

In the sections below, we’ll explain how we picked out these cold climate heat pumps, how you should choose between them, and what to expect if you install one in your home.

The most important factor: the installer

A heat pump that works in frigid climates is a modern marvel of efficient, climate-friendly technology. But it will only improve your home, and cut your utility bills, if the right one is picked out for your home’s heating and cooling needs.

Andrew Kosick, owner of Creative Rebuilding in Midland, Michigan, puts it plainly: “Getting the sizing and installation right is honestly more important than a specific manufacturer.” John Semmelhack, an experienced heat pump consultant and contractor, went further in a tweet: “Heating + cooling is a system. Best product + poor design/install = poor performance.”

Nate Adams, a.k.a. Nate the House Whisperer, notes that client goals, house design, and budget determine what actually gets installed. Cold climate heat pumps are “changing INSANELY fast right now,” Nate wrote us—something echoed by This Old House’s Ross Trethewey.

So choosing the right installer, with the right mindset, is valuable far beyond work ethic and craftsmanship. A heat-pump-friendly HVAC contractor can assess your home’s energy retention and needs, properly size the system you need for its design and weather patterns, and set you up for the most comfort and savings.

Most installers will have a limited number of heat pump brands they offer, or perhaps only one. As with any major home project, it’s important to get recommendations, seek multiple quotes, and ask questions of your installer.

You can find Mitsubishi, Fujitsu, and Daikin’s installers by clicking one of the links below: 

• Mitsubishi installers
• Fujitsu installers
• Daikin installers

Why proper heat pump sizing matters

Heat pumps are different than furnaces, electric baseboards, and most other heating systems in one important way: They produce a different amount of heat depending on the temperature.

In order to understand why, it’s helpful to consider how heat pumps work. Even on a cold day, there is energy in the air outside. A heat pump expands and compresses refrigerants to draw in this heat energy and deliver it inside your home.

Because the amount of heat energy outside decreases as it gets colder, the capacity of a heat pump decreases with it. The capacity is the amount of heat (or cooling) that a HVAC system can supply. If that capacity is less than the amount of energy your home needs to stay comfortable (the “load”), you’ll have to rely on some combination of expensive backup heat, blankets, and/or fortitude.

It might seem like an easy fix–pick a heat pump with a capacity slightly bigger than your home’s load, or just buy a heat pump with the same capacity as your furnace or other existing heating system. But Kosick believes most furnaces are oversized (often due to bad rules of thumb), and the wrong comparison for heat pump sizing. And “an oversized heat pump is actually worse than a slightly undersized one,” Kosick writes.

The most comfortable and efficient use of a heat pump is when it’s constantly running, at variable speeds, keeping warm air moving through a home, according to Kosick. A heat pump that’s too large will start and stop more, waste energy, wear on the system, and create hot and cold zones. Picking too small a heat pump, as noted, creates more obvious under-heating problems.

We have a whole guide to properly sizing a heat pump for your home. Having a good smart thermostat can help you figure out exactly how much energy your heating system used on one of the coldest days of the year, making sizing even easier. 

Why the Mitsubishi H2i is our pick

When we asked about the best cold climate heat pumps on Twitter, and spoke to contractors, Mitsubishi’s name came up often. It’s easy to see why. Its heat pumps have higher heat capacity at lower outdoor temperatures, produce heat down to the lowest temperatures, and have wide support and distribution among installers.

On pure stats, Mitsubishi’s Hyper-Heating (H2i) series stands out. As low as 5 Fahrenheit, an H2i heat pump produces its full rated heating capacity. For some areas, that be the entire winter. If your home is well-insulated and there’s an H2i heat pump that fits your home’s load, you’re almost certainly ready to switch.

If your winter is brutal, you’re not out of luck though. As low as -13F, an H2i pump keeps working, supplying roughly 80% of its total heat capacity. Depending on your home, that might mean turning down the thermostat and bundling for brief spells, or having backup heat available for extended freezes, whether that means keeping your existing system or installing electric backups.

Mitsubishi heat pumps don’t just work well on paper–they’re greatly preferred in real cold regions. We know this because the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center has a database of heat pumps installed in that state through 2019. Mitsubishi heat pumps are installed at a rate of 2.8 times more than the next brand, Fujitsu. Download the data and look around, and you’ll see a wide range of home sizes and heating needs, across a state with winter temperatures that frequently dip below 0° F.

Our second favorite: Fujitsu

Fujitsu cold climate heat pumps (AOU line) have a lot in common with Mitsubishi’s. But instead of delivering 100% of their capacity down to 5F, all but the smallest Fujitsu models offer 75-95% of their capacity. They’re rated to work down to -10F, just above Mitsubishi’s -13F.

Fewer people in Massachusetts installed Fujitsu models than Mitsubishi pumps, but far more than the next most popular brand, Daikin. Fujitsu was mentioned a number of times by installers and consultants we spoke with. Like our other picks, the brand is also well-established, and has a decently large network of authorized installers around the U.S.

One more option: Daikin Fit & Aurora

Daikin’s Fit line (RZQ outdoor pumps) is well-regarded, if new, among installers, and maintains its full heating capacity down to 5F, like our top recommendation, Mitsubishi. They don’t work to as low a temperature, however, stopping at -4F. 

Daikin’s new Aurora (RXTQ) cold climate heat pumps look promising. They provide 100% heating capacity down to 5F, then keep working at a slightly slower capacity to -13F, like the H2i series. The Aurora is too new for many of our installers to have worked with, but it seems promising.

Why you should consider other brands

Our recommendations are by no means exhaustive, exclusive, or guaranteed to cover everyone’s particular winter in their unique home. There are many reasons you might pick a heat pump from a brand we didn’t recommend here.

For one thing, we focused on the coldest climates for this guide–those covered by “Cold” and “Very Cold” on the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s climate map.

Even inside those cold zones, winters vary. While your winter may occasionally, memorably dip below freezing, most of your winter may not require a heat pump that can deliver a full load down to almost zero.  

Some contractors, and homeowners, value other things beyond pure cold climate performance. Nate Adams, a heat pump installer in Ohio, highly values the energy monitoring, airflow adjustments, pressure, dehumidification, and other features of Carrier’s Greenspeed heat pumps. He’ll pick that if it fits a job, he said, even if other heat pumps beat the Greenspeed on deep cold performance.

There’s also the reality that, in your region, reliable contractors may only represent certain heat pump brands. After assessing your energy needs, climate, controls, and other factors, you and your contractor may settle on a heat pump from a brand not mentioned here–and you’ll still get efficient, money-saving, carbon-free comfort.

All of that’s to say that looking at the specs is important, but when it comes to finding the best cold climate heat pump for your home, it’s not the only thing to consider.

The post How to Find The Best Cold Climate Heat Pump appeared first on Carbon Switch.

If you’re looking to install a cooling system for your home, you’ll likely come across two different options: ductless mini-splits and central air conditioning (central A/C).

Central air will be familiar to most: With this option, a big box outside your home moves hot air out of your home and cool air throughout ducts and vents.

Ductless mini-splits work in much the same way, but as the name suggests, they don’t require ducts. Instead that big box outside your home connects to anywhere between one and six separate air handlers. 

Which system you should pick for your home depends on a few factors, including: 

• The size of your home and the rooms you want to cool
•  Where you spend time throughout the day
• Upfront and operating costs.

Let’s explore the two systems’ pros and cons and which option makes the most sense for you and your home.

What is a ductless mini-split?

As its name implies, a ductless mini-split system can cool rooms, or a whole home, without the need for ducts running all the way back to a central fanLike a traditional A/C system, a mini-split moves heat from inside your insulated home to the outside air, while moving cool air into your home. Unlike a traditional “central” A/C system, the cool air comes from each separate indoor air handler, rather than one central fan in your attic or basement.

This split-up cooling system allows for zone control, and prevents the efficiency loss of moving air through long ducts. It also makes installing a mini-split system possible in homes where space is limited, or where ductwork would be intrusive and costly. Up to eight indoor units can be connected to a single outdoor unit.

However, unlike a traditional central air conditioning system, ductless mini-splits can also provide heat — and they can do it 3-4 times more efficiently than a furnace, boiler, or baseboard heat system. That means when you install mini-splits, you’re getting two major appliances for the price of one. 

To learn more, you can read our recent guide: What is a mini-split?. If you want to know more about the physics and mechanics of these systems, read our guide to how heat pumps work.

What is central air conditioning?

Central air conditioning does all of its work in a couple bigger units. An outdoor unit expels warm air, while an indoor air handler blows cool air throughout a home’s duct system. 

From there, it spreads to every room through vents. The whole system is controlled by a single thermostat, set to one temperature. The only real options for a homeowner are how wide you open each vent, and what kind of filter you put into the blower unit.

Benefits of ductless mini-splits

Having individual control of each cooling unit in your home gives you more control over temperatures, humidity, and your energy bills. Let’s walk through the benefits one by one.

Zone control of temperature and humidity

Each indoor unit in a mini-split system can be controlled by a remote control, an in-room thermostat, or sometimes a smartphone app. Zone control lets you adjust the temperature in each individual room for things like: :

• People with different temperature preferences
• Rooms that you don’t use during certain parts of the day like bedrooms, offices, playrooms, attics and basements.
• New home additions or rooms without ducts
• Rooms that get hotter or cooler than other parts of the house 
• Pets left at home in a single room

Efficiency

Most homes lose 20-30% of their cooling capability in ducts, according to Energy Star. The cool air in a mini-split system comes out at each indoor unit, so it doesn’t have to make that energy-draining journey.

There are also inherent efficiencies in the zone control mentioned above. Most homes will have some temperature variation due to variations in sunlight, insulation, elevation, and construction. Allowing each unit to control how much to cool each room lowers energy use and saves you money on your utility bill each month.

Two major appliances for the price of one

In addition to cooling your home, mini-splits can also heat your home, which means when you install them you can avoid or delay replacing your heating system in the future.

In heating mode, mini-splits use the same kind of no-duct thermal energy transfer to heat your home. And like all heat pumps, they can do it up to four times more efficiently than any other heating system. 

You can use a heat pump with a ducted system, but a mini-split system (which also uses heat pump technology) delivers this heat the most efficient way possible.

Easier, more flexible installation

If your home doesn’t have existing ducts, installing central AC can get very expensive.. It also requires opening up walls, ceilings, and floors to install ducts, vents, and air returns.

Mini-splits were built specifically to avoid ductwork, originally for Japanese homeowners. They work through thin pipes, rather than wide ducts. For homes without ductwork this often results in lower costs and complexity. 

Steady, constant temperature and dehumidification

Most new, high-SEER mini-split systems offer either dual-stage or variable-speed motors. When properly sized, mini-split systems can run at lower speeds for longer periods than less efficient central air. 

Rather than “kicking on” and blowing in gusts of cool air every so often, a mini-split unit can gradually pull moisture and heat from the air all day, keeping a room comfortable while keeping energy use low.

Downsides of mini-splits

Potentially higher upfront costs

If your home already has duct work, a low-SEER, single-stage AC system will cost you less money upfront than a mini-split system. 

Cheap, inefficient AC systems cost between $4,000-$8,000 according to Bob Vila.

Single-zone mini-splits cost $2,000-$6,000, while multi-zone systems that cover an entire home generally cost between $8,000-$12,000, according to homeowners and contractors we’ve talked to.

Electrical requirements

Mini-splits often require electrical work In some cases this may mean upgrading an electrical panel. In others it may mean upgrading from 100 amp to 200 amp service through your utility. 

Aesthetics of wall units

The typical mini-split configuration has each indoor unit hung on a wall. Wall units can be black or white. Many would consider them inoffensive. But some people won’t appreciate having anything hanging on their wall.

There are alternatives to wall units in a mini-split system, like floor-mounted, flush ceiling, and ceiling-suspended units. But both the equipment and labor costs go up with these options.

Individual filters instead of household filters

Each indoor unit in a mini-split system has its own smaller filter. This certainly reduces the spread of particles, but a ducted system moves the home’s air through a large filter, for which you can choose different filter levels (e.g. a heavy-duty MERV-15). 

That means if you have clean ducts, central AC will provide cleaner air than a mini-split system. 

Benefits of central air conditioning

Lower upfront costs (if you already have ducts)

If your home already has ducts, whether for heating or cooling, installing central air conditioning will cost less than a mini-split system.

As we mentioned above, a cheap, low-SEER air conditioner typically costs between $4,000 and $8,000. A whole home mini-split system, by comparison, typically costs between $8,000-$12,000.

Easier operation

Individual control of each zone or room can be great, but not if you don’t want, or need, that much control. Central air conditioning systems can generally be set to one temperature, and they’ll work until the thermostat (or, optionally, household sensors) reach it.

It may seem sub-optimal, but a single thermostat and temperature also means that you may be less likely to  accidentally leave one zone set quite low when nobody’s in it, or let it get too hot in a room where you turned off the system.

Filtration options

If pets, allergies, or other concerns require you to aggressively filter the air in your home, a traditional air handler in a ducted central air system gives you more options. These indoor units can accept larger filters with different HEPA filter levels.

Downsides of central air conditioning

Lack of zone control

Central air conditioning systems have two options: They can either be turned on or turned off. But as we mentioned above, there are a lot of situations where it comes in handy to turn on the AC or heat in just one room.

For example, maybe one room gets a lot of sun during the day. You might want to crank the AC in that room, but not turn the rest of your home into an ice box. 

Or maybe you leave your pet at home during the work day. It’d be a waste of money and energy to heat or cool the entire home if the pet just hangs out in one single room. 

Central AC systems, unlike ductless mini-splits, don’t solve either of these problems. 

Duct maintenance

Over time ducts get dirty, which can make the air you breathe less healthy. Cleaning them out can be a pain and is often too difficult for even the most handy homeowners. This means more maintenance and the headache of scheduling regular cleanings. 

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to choose between them? Can I use both?

If you already have ducts in your home, but they don’t cover an area of your home (or don’t provide enough air to it), you can augment your ducted system with a single-unit mini-split. 

Typically this involves installing an indoor unit a short distance from its outside counterpart, with short, narrow cables running between them. The indoor unit would be controlled separately from the main ducted system, and could be used only when needed.

Can I use a heat pump with either ducted or ductless systems?

Yes, a heat pump can provide the same kind of cooling, and super-efficient heating, with ducted or ductless systems. A heat pump is more efficient in a ductless system, but still provides heat that can save the average U.S. home hundreds of dollars per year in either setup.

Can I install a mini-split system myself?

MRCOOL, Pioneer, and other brands sell DIY mini splits in single-zone and multi-zone configurations. You can walk into a big-box store and come home with most of the gear required to install mini-splits in your home. But should you?

Using an HVAC contractor provides many inherent advantages to a DIY installation. Good contractors know the equipment they’re licensed to install. They’re familiar with your region, your style of home, and, of course, the type of work that needs to be done. And most importantly, manufacturers offer up to 12 year warranties on equipment installed by licensed HVAC techs. 

That all might well be worth the dollars you’d save in a DIY installation. But if you’re technical and up for the challenge, give it a try. We’re heard stories of people saving thousands by doing a DIY install.

A good first step is looking up the manual of the model you’re considering and read it thoroughly. A typical DIY mini-split job involves electrical work, wall mounting, knowing exactly what’s inside your walls and drilling holes through them.

How often should I have a mini-split system serviced?

You can clean the filters on your indoor units yourself, at least monthly. But at least once a year you should have your ductless system professionally inspected.

All the things that make a ductless system quiet, clean, and efficient can be undone by leaks, wiring damage, clogged drains, or other issues that build up over time. A professional HVAC technician who knows your mini-split brand can ensure everything is running smoothly.

How often should I have the ducts on my central air system cleaned?

If your ducts have visible debris inside, if you smell a moldy or off odor coming from your vents, or if people in your home are experiencing atypical allergy-like symptoms, it’s time to have your ducts inspected and cleaned, right away.

Otherwise, HVAC providers and furnace manufacturers seem to average out to every two to three years for duct checks. Even if nothing seems particularly wrong with your ducts’ air, build-up in the ducts lowers efficiency, and breaks or leaks can be better caught with regular inspection.

The post Mini-Splits vs. Central Air Conditioning appeared first on Carbon Switch.

A mini-split, or ductless air conditioner, is an appliance that can both cool and heat a home. But unlike a traditional air conditioning or heating system, mini-splits offer “zone-control.” 

While a traditional heating and cooling system can be turned on or off, each indoor unit of a mini-split can be set to a different temperature. And each indoor unit only requires a few smaller lines run to it, rather than large ducts.

In addition to having more control over the temperature throughout your home, mini-splits tend to be more efficient than traditional air conditioners. And when turned to heating mode, they are between 2-4 times more efficient than a furnace, baseboard or a boiler. 

In this article we’ll explain how mini-splits work, look at their pros and cons, and answer frequently asked questions about these high-efficiency heating and cooling appliances. 

How does a mini-split work?

In many ways, a mini-split functions much like a traditional air conditioning system. In cooling mode, it moves heat from inside your home to the outside air. The difference is where the cool air blows from. 

In a central-air system, the cool air comes out of a single “air handler” (basically a big fan in your attic or basement), then blows that cool air throughout all the ducts of your home. A mini-split, by comparison, can blow cool air from up to 6 seperate air handlers, hence why they can offer zone-control.

There’s more to the process, involving expansion, compression, and evaporation. You can read about the whole process in our guide to how heat pumps work. 

Types of mini-splits

Number of zones

When you install a mini-split, you have to choose how many zones you want throughout your home. You can install one indoor unit to  cover just a single room or zone. Or you can install five or six indoor units and make your whole home a modular heating playground.

Installing a single zone is ideal if you’re adding cooling or heating to a room that ducts are having trouble reaching, a new home addition, or an exterior space, like a garage or workshop. You could even consider a DIY mini-split kit for these kinds of projects.

A multi-zone setup typically allows up to six indoor units to be connected to a single outdoor unit. Each indoor unit is connected to an outdoor unit by thin lines of refrigerant, power, and drainage.

Where can you mount a mini-split indoor unit?

Because of their thinner tubes and cable connections, the indoor units in a mini-split system can go more places than a traditional ducted vent. 

The most typical indoor unit you’ll see is a wall-mounted unit.  These are generally mounted about 6 inches from the ceiling in order to distribute cool air downwards, as the warmer air will rise.

Beyond wall-mounted, other indoor units can be:

• Floor-mounted, for homes where windows, ceilings, or other room design prevents easy wall-mounting
• Floor-standing, for walls with even less usable space
• Ceiling cassette, for a more subtle look and better downward air spread
• Ceiling suspended, for more airflow but more noise, too

Benefits of mini-splits

By cutting out ducts and letting each indoor unit do some of the cooling work, a mini-split system gives you more control over exactly how you want your home cooled, heated, and dehumidified. Let’s walk through each benefit.

Individual control of each indoor unit

The indoor units in a mini-split system can be controlled with a remote control, a smart thermostat, or sometimes a mobile app. Rather than setting a single temperature to cover the whole range of your house, a mini-split lets you fine-tune for things like:

• Family members who disagree about the right temperature
• Rooms only occasionally used, whether at certain times of day(bedrooms, offices) or in general (guest rooms, attics)
• New additions or rooms in a home that don’t have ducts
• Individual rooms and areas with specific heating or cooling challenges (sunrooms, basements)
• Keeping pets comfortable in one room while you’re at work

Efficiency

Ducts are responsible for 20-30% air loss in a typical home, according to Energy Star. The cooling or heating coming from a mini-split system is generated at each unit so these losses can be avoided..

Another inherent advantage of mini-splits is allowing rooms or zones to be kept at separate temperatures (or turned off entirely). If your bedroom is across the house from where a main thermostat would go, a mini-split system could provide serious savings while you sleep.

Two major appliances for the price of one

In addition to cooling your home, mini-splits can also heat your home, which means when you install them you can avoid paying for a furnace or baseboards.

In heating mode, mini-splits use the same kind of no-duct thermal energy transfer to heat your home. And like all heat pumps, they can do it up to four times more efficiently than any other heating system. 

You can use a heat pump with a ducted system, but a mini-split system (which also uses heat pump technology) delivers this heat the most efficient way possible

Higher-quality air

Ducted HVAC systems typically have one filter installed in a central, indoor location. Cleaning out the ducts typically requires professional service, which can put homeowners off the job (ask us how we know).

By comparison, each indoor unit in a mini-split setup has its own air filter that can be replaced by the homeowner with nothing more than a stepladder. 

Dehumidification

Whenever you turn on an air conditioner, you are also turning on a dehumidifier. With a mini-split this is the case, too. But mini-splits have one major advantage over traditional air conditioning systems in this regard.

Imagine it’s a humid, but not entirely hot, day in October. You might not want to turn on your air conditioner. But, for both health and comfort reasons, you definitely don’t want to sit in a humid home. With a traditional air conditioning system you have two choices: Sit in humid misery, or turn the AC and bundle up.

If you have a mini-split, you can turn it on “reheat dehumidification mode,” which sounds more complex than it actually is. In this mode you can keep the temperature constant while removing humidity from the air. 

Downsides of mini-splits

Potentially higher upfront costs

Putting all-new ducts for a central air system into a home, especially an older home, is expensive.

But setting up a new mini-split system isn’t cheap, either. Even a single-zone system can cost $2,000-$6,000. Multi-zone systems that cover an entire home generally cost between $8,000-$12,000, according to homeowners and contractors we’ve talked to.

Electrical requirements

Mini-splits often require electrical work, ranging from the simple (like running a 220V line to each indoor unit) to the complex (like upgrading your electrical panel). Some homeowners even have to upgrade their electrical service entirely from 100 amps to 200 amps. 

Aesthetics of wall units

The typical mini-split configuration has each indoor unit hung on a wall. Wall units can be black or white. Many would consider them inoffensive. But some people won’t appreciate having anything hanging on their wall.

As noted above, there are alternatives to wall units, like floor-mounted, flush ceiling, and ceiling-suspended units. But both the units and the labor costs tend to go up when you go with these options. 

Mini-splits vs. central A/C

The case for mini-splits

As we’ve covered above, mini-splits have a lot of advantages over traditional air conditioners. Those advantages include: 

• More control over the temperature of individual rooms and spaces
• Higher efficiency and less energy loss through ducts
• The ability to heat your home up to 4 times more efficiently than a furnace or baseboard heater
• The ability to dehumidify your home without cooling it
• Cleaner air on average

The case for central AC

Mini-splits aren’t for everyone. Here are the main advantages of central air:

• Lower upfront cost if you want to cool your entire home 
• Less electrical work required
• Less obtrusive aesthetic 

Mini-splits vs. window or portable units

Mini-splits’ advantages

If your summers are mild and you typically only cool one or two rooms, you might be tempted to stick it out with window units. If you’ve ever installed and used a window A/C unit, you know their inherent drawbacks:

• They block light and views through the window
• They’re typically unattractive, viewed both inside and outside the home
• They take up an electrical outlet, and may require thick extension cables
• Improper installation can lead to some surprising drainage problems
• They’re heavy
• They’re loud
• They make your windows less secure

Portable units may provide more placement options than a window unit, but still require a window for heat exhaust, and create their own setup headaches.

And both kinds of temporary units are less energy efficient than a mini-split. 

The case for window or portable AC units

Window and portable AC units can be thousands of dollars cheaper to install than a mini-split. So if you just need to cool a room for a short amount of time, they can make more sense. 

And unlike a mini-split, window units and portable air conditioners can be moved from room to room. 

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a mini-split for every room?

Not necessarily. A larger indoor unit can work for a “zone” of a home, not just a room. And if a room doesn’t need heating, cooling, or dehumidification, you can skip a mini-split in there.

That said, it’s more efficient to buy a properly-sized indoor unit for each room where you might want cooling, rather than buy larger units and hope they’ll cover multiple rooms.

Are mini-splits noisy?

A mini-split has two main components, an indoor unit and outdoor unit. Both will vary in their noise of operation, depending on the capacity of the unit and the temperatures they’re trying to reach. 

Manufacturers’ ratings generally show decibel levels of indoor units between 20-49, and outdoor units 45-60. Those are comparable, according to noise charts, to between a whisper and a library indoors, and a “quiet suburb” outdoors.

Can I install them myself?

MRCOOL, Pioneer, and other brands sell DIY mini splits in single-zone and multi-zone configurations. You can walk into a big-box store and come home with most of the gear required to install mini-splits in your home. But should you?

Using an HVAC contractor provides many inherent advantages to a DIY installation. Good contractors know the equipment they’re licensed to install. They’re familiar with your region, your style of home, and, of course, the type of work that needs to be done. And most importantly, manufacturers offer up to 12 year warranties on equipment installed by licensed HVAC techs. 

That all might well be worth the dollars you’d save in a DIY installation. But if you’re technical and up for the challenge, give it a try. We’re heard stories of people saving thousands by doing a DIY install.

A good first step is looking up the manual of the model you’re considering and read it thoroughly. A typical DIY mini-split job involves electrical work, wall mounting, knowing exactly what’s inside your walls and drilling holes through them.

What are the electrical requirements for a mini-split?

Most high-efficiency mini-split systems require 208-230-volt service. Some smaller units only call for 110-115 volts, and could therefore rely on typical household power. Your HVAC contractor should know what your system demands, and whether your home’s current panel and service can provide it. If you’re at all uncertain, seek out a qualified and licensed electrician.

Do mini-split units come in colors other than white?

If a white mini-split wall unit isn’t appealing, you can take some comfort in having at least one other option: black. You’ll have to do some hunting for black wall units, however. Beyond black and white, there are not a lot of color options, whether indoor or outdoor.

As noted above, if a white or black wall unit unacceptable in a room, there are options for ceiling or floor mounting.

How can I camouflage or cover up a mini-split?is 

Beyond choosing a ceiling or floor-mounted mini-split unit, one manufacturer, and some DIY tricks, do offer a way of improving, if not hiding, the look of a wall unit.

LG’s Art Cool line provides a frame in which you can place any image you choose, with the heating or cooling coming out of the sides of the wall unit. You and your contractor can also try some creative placement: in bookcases, inside old-fashioned radiator covers, under stairwells, and more. Anything that doesn’t block access to the air, the filters, or the equipment for service, and doesn’t put them too close to electronics, is fair game.

The post What Is a Mini-Split? appeared first on Carbon Switch.

If you’re looking to buy a new heat pump or air conditioner, you’ll likely see different SEER ratings for each model. Even if you know SEER’s definition (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio), you might be left with questions about what it really means.

What’s a good SEER number? What’s the typical range? How much more should I pay for one SEER rating over another? And why are SEER standards different in the north and south of the U.S.?

Let’s dig into SEER, a number that means well, but doesn’t explain itself properly.

What does SEER mean?

The Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) is how the HVAC industry measures the efficiency of air conditioners and heat pumps. 

SEER is essentially some very simple math that gets more complicated if you dig in. It’s how much cooling a unit puts out during a typical warm period, divided by the energy needed for that unit to produce that cooling.

But the practical value of a SEER rating is its ability to estimate how much electricity and money is required to cool a home each year.

What SEER rating should I buy?

All things being equal, it’s better to buy a higher SEER-rated cooling system. But things will not be equal. The upfront cost of a unit, the amount of space you’re cooling, the length and temperature of your summers—all these things play into the efficiency decision.

In general you should consider upgrading to a higher SEER if you live in a very hot climate (we’re looking at you, folks in Texas and Florida) and/or if you have a large home.

The best way to see how much a higher SEER unit can save you is by checking online SEER calculator. Be sure to double-check your electricity costs, the tonnage size of your unit, and other factors.

Let’s run through some examples to see if higher SEER units are worth the additional cost.

How much does a higher SEER unit cost?

Higher SEER units generally don’t require more labor to install. And they generally use the same air handler (the inside unit). So by looking at the cost of various condensers (the big box that sits outside your house), we can see how much higher SEER units cost.

Buying a 3-ton, 13 SEER Goodman outdoor A/C unit from direct-to-consumer site eComfort costs $1,354 (at time of publishing). The same unit with a 14 SEER rating is a bit more, at $1,516. The 16 SEER version is $1,681. Then the prices rise substantially: An 18 SEER unit is $2,935, and a 20 SEER unit is $6,140.

Heat pumps from the same manufacturer have a slightly different price curve. A 3-ton, 14 SEER unit costs $2,034, 16 SEER is $3,112, 18 is $3,679, and 20 tops out at $7,069.

It’s worth noting that the 13/14 SEER A/C and heat pump units are single-stage, while the middle and higher-end units are almost all dual-stage or variable speed. So in addition to getting a unit that is more efficient, you’re also getting something that makes your home more comfortable.

In addition to that, heat pumps also provide more efficient heating in the winter. That’s why if you’re thinking about investing in a more efficient AC unit, we recommend installing a heat pump. As we covered in this article, the total savings can add up to $10,000 over 15 years, which puts the numbers above to shame.

How much will a higher SEER unit save?

Using the calculator linked above, If I live in Baltimore, Maryland, ran my A/C or heat pump for about 1,100 hours a year, and bought a 3-ton, 20 SEER air conditioner or heat pump instead of a legal-minimum 13 SEER unit, I’d see 35% savings, or about $143, given the weather and cost of electricity there. That’s $715 in five years, or $1,430 in 10.

But move me to Atlanta, Georgia, where I’m running my A/C or heat pump 1,700 hours a year, in hotter weather? Now I’m saving $212 per year, $1,059 in five years, $2,188 over 10 years. And if I bought a heat pump? I’m saving a lot more on my winter heating too.

Given that a 20 SEER unit cost nearly $5,000 more than a 13 in our online shopping, the jump may not be worth it, unless your home is enormous, your electricity remarkably expensive, or you live in Death Valley.

As we mentioned above, you’re better off getting a low SEER heat pump than a high SEER AC unit.

What about a 16 SEER vs 13 SEER?

Here’s where the math may better line up. The Baltimore homeowner with the 3-ton unit is saving just $85 per year with a 13-to-16 SEER increase. Then again, their 16 SEER unit only cost $327 more than the 13, so they’d handily make that up in less than 5 years, and keep saving beyond that.

In Atlanta, the 3-ton 16 SEER unit is saving $113 a year, paying for itself in less than 3 years.

The difference between SEER and EER

The “S” stands for “seasonal,” and that’s the big difference. EER (Energy efficiency ratio), like its sibling SEER, also measures how much power it takes to produce a certain amount of cooling, but it’s not scaled to the real costs of a typical season.

EER’s baseline model is a unit running when it’s 95 °F (35 °C) outside and 80 °F (27 °C) inside, at about 50% relative humidity inside. The SEER model takes into account a range of temperatures from 65 °F (18 °C) to 104 °F (40 °C).

In other words, SEER tries to account for the fact that temperatures outside change, and with them the efficiency of cooling units do too. EER, by comparison, measures efficiency in a fixed environment. 

What about HSPF?

HSPF stands for Heating Seasonal Performance Factor. It’s a measure of how much electricity it takes to provide a certain amount of heating. In other words, HSPF measures how efficient a heat pump — an air conditioner that can also heat a home — is at providing heat to a building. 

Comparing the HSPF of a heat pump against a traditional furnace is a good way to get a sense of how much a heat pump can save you over traditional fuel-based heating.

Other things to consider

SEER isn’t the only thing to consider when buying a cooling system. As we’ve seen, there is a point of diminishing returns, where buying a slightly higher number doesn’t really pay off. But it’s a helpful starting point when comparing different heat pumps and air conditioners.

Here are some other things to consider and know about SEER ratings.

The minimum SEER rating

The U.S. Department of Energy made this part easy for most of us. If you live in the southeast or southwest, your new system must be at least 14 SEER. In the northern half of the country the minimum SEER is 13. Starting in 2023, each of those numbers goes up by one point.

The SEER range

Most air conditioners and heat pumps in the U.S. have a SEER rating from the current legal minimum of 13 up to around 20-25, depending on the region of the U.S. That’s progress—in 1992, the minimum legal amount was 10. The upcoming minimum of 14 is at least a 20% energy savings for most of the country.

There are some remarkably high-SEER units around, especially in mini-split configuration. Carrier announced a 42 SEER mini-split for a single zone in 2018, and there are higher-SEER units regularly announced and showcased within the industry.

Is a heat pump with a higher SEER also more efficient at heating?

Generally, yes. Because a heat pump essentially works like an air conditioner in reverse to provide heat, a unit that can use less power to compress and expand refrigerants to move heat around in the summer can do the same in winter.

Your heat pump should also have an HSPF rating though, which is a better measure of its heating performance. 

Do ductless mini-splits have higher SEER ratings?

Generally, yes, ductless mini-split systems, whether heat pump or traditional A/C, are more efficient and have higher SEER ratings than traditional “split” systems. This is for two reasons.

One reason is that mini-split systems allow for individual rooms, or zones in a home, to be set to different temperatures, depending on need. A standard forced-air system pushes air to the entire house, doing so whenever a main thermostat tells it. You can somewhat control this with vent shutters, but distributed units will always be more effective.

The other reason is that forced air systems lose efficiency in their ducts. Mini-split systems run refrigerant to and from a main outdoor unit, a more efficient heat transfer system.

Do dual-stage and variable-speed cooling systems get higher SEER ratings?

Yes, dual-stage and variable-speed cooling systems are almost always more efficient than their single-stage counterparts. .

Cooling and heating systems are sized for a home based on the coolest or hottest day of the year. A single-stage system is always drawing the same power to run, whether it’s a slightly warm day or a swampy supernova. Dual-stage and variable-speed systems can work at lower energy levels when needed.

Because they’re running more often, dual-stage and variable-speed systems also do a better job of constantly moving air and keeping a home dehumidified. This in turn keeps temperatures down, and makes people feel cooler.

The post What Is a SEER Rating? appeared first on Carbon Switch.

If you’re looking at replacing an air conditioning system, or upgrading a home with central air, you might be wondering how heat pumps compare with traditional A/C.

The main advantage of traditional air conditioners is their lower upfront cost. Installing a basic A/C system is a few thousand dollars cheaper than installing a heat pump. But this lower upfront cost has a few major drawbacks.

With the exception of their higher upfront cost, heat pumps are better in almost every way. They can typically replace both an air conditioner and a furnace, which means two major appliances for the price of one. Heat pumps also provide more comfortable heating and cooling than basic air conditioners and furnaces. And they can save the average U.S. homeowner $10,000 over the lifespan of the unit. Because they run on electricity, installing a heat pump also frees your home from relying on heating fuels, which can fluctuate in price.

In this article, we’ll walk through each of the ways a heat pump improves on the air conditioning we’re all familiar with: costs, installation, and comfort. We’ll also cover the environmental benefits of heat pumps vs. A/C units, and argue that heat pumps are worth the higher upfront cost.

Upfront and operating cost

Two systems for the price of one

A heat pump can both heat and cool a home, compared to an air conditioner which only provides cooling. In other words it’s a replacement for both your air conditioner and your furnace or boiler. 

That means when you install a heat pump you’re getting two major appliances for the price of one. According to a recent study by RMI, it’s cheaper to install a heat pump than a furnace+AC. 

Heat pumps can save you $10,000 over 15 years

According to our recent analysis of heat pump costs and savings, the average American homeowner can save $670 per year by switching to a heat pump. Over 15 years that adds up to total savings of $10,000.

If your home uses electric resistance heat (i.e. baseboards or an electric furnace), propane, or fuel oil, the savings will be closer to $1,000 a year.

Upfront costs

Heat pumps cost a few thousand dollars more than traditional A/C systems, but they often pay for themselves, and quickly. If you were due to replace your heating system, soon? That’s even more incentive. Heat pumps also tend to have newer technology in them, like variable speed motors and inverters. We’ll get to those in the comfort section.

Longevity

If you use a heat pump for both heat and cooling, it may lack longevity, compared to an A/C unit that only works part of the year. HVAC installers cite a 15-year lifespan for a year-round heat pump. The average U.S. heat pump pays for itself in about eight years, but it may not last as long as two separate appliances serving half the time.

Installation

Heat pumps don’t require ducts

Many older homes don’t have ductwork. Traditional air conditioner units don’t work in these homes, forcing homeowners to make do with inefficient, ugly window A/C units. But ductless mini-splits — a common type of heat pump — are easier and more flexible to install than ducted HVAC systems.

Heat pumps don’t have to work alone

Heat pumps work efficiently in almost every climate, even cold ones. For the coldest reaches of the country, though, a heat pump can be used in a dual-fuel, or hybrid, setup to reduce energy bills. With a smart thermostat, your home can switch from your heat pump to your oil, propane or gas furnace depending on the temperature. 

Comfort

Most heat pumps provide better comfort

Many heat pumps come with variable-speed or dual-speed motors. These can make the heating and cooling process more gradual, and energy-efficient, than a traditional system. They don’t simply have “on” and “off” modes, so they don’t blast you with air or make a noise throughout the house when they “kick on.”

Heat pumps can cool your home too

The way that air conditioning lowers the temperature and humidity of your home when it’s beastly outside? Heat pumps do that, too. The biggest difference is that a heat pump can also provide heat and utility bill savings.

Environmental benefits

Installing a heat pump is an effective way to reduce your carbon footprint

Replacing your traditional fuel-burning furnace with a highly efficient heat pump is the easiest way to make a big difference, personally, in our fight against climate change. Boring, but big.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Home energy use is 20% of the carbon emissions in America.
• Heating and cooling are 60% of those home emissions.
• Switching to a heat pump would save the average homeowner $557 on home energy bills (and far more for homes heated by baseboard heaters or fuel oil).
• If everyone in America made their heating and cooling efficient and electric, and the electricity came from renewable sources, America could cut emissions by 600 million tons per year. 

Is there any reason to go with traditional A/C?

The notable downside to heat pumps is that they cost a few thousand dollars more upfront to install than traditional air conditioners. That’s to be expected for advanced technology that does twice as much work.

But we realize that for many households, a few thousand dollars is a lot of money. Fortunately many states across the U.S. offer incentives, rebates, and financing for homeowners who install heat pumps versus a/c units, so it’s worth checking to see if they can even out the cost. 

The DSIRE database of incentives and rebates is a great place to start.

Installing a heat pump provides air conditioning, lowers your heating costs, gives you more installation options, and future-proofs your home for a fuel-free, cheaper future. That’s why we recommend them whenever possible to people in need of a new A/C system.

The post Heat pumps vs. AC — Why Upfront Costs Can Be Misleading appeared first on Carbon Switch.

As we’ve written before, installing a heat pump is one of the best ways to save energy and money on your utility bills as a homeowner. That’s because heat pumps are 2-3 times more efficient than furnaces and traditional air conditioners. In a recent analysis, we found that the average homeowner can save $670 per year by switching to a heat pump. 

As the most energy-efficient way to heat and cool a home, and one of the few HVAC systems that can run entirely on renewable energy, heat pumps are also good for the planet. 

In this article we’ll answer one of the most common questions we get at Carbon Switch: How does a heat pump work? We’ll start with a simple description, then get deeper into the science. 

There are many types of heat pumps. But in this article we’ll be talking about the most common heat pumps in America, air-source heat pumps like mini-splits. In future articles we will cover ground-source, or geothermal, heat pumps. 

How does a heat pump work: Explain it to me like I’m five.

At the simplest level, heat pumps use electricity to move heat from one place to another. In cooling mode, a heat pump moves the heat inside your home to the outside, leaving your home cooler. 

Refrigerators and traditional one-way air conditioners work the same way. In fact, these appliances are examples of heat pumps, which means you’ve probably already experienced the power of this technology. 

But what makes a heat pump (such as a ductless mini-split) different from a traditional air conditioner is that this process can also be reversed. On a cold day, a heat pump can move heat energy inside and heat your home. (Yes, heat pumps work in cold climates).

If that’s a bit confusing, think about how your refrigerator works. When you put your hand inside, it’s cold. But if you stand behind it, it’s hot. Your refrigerator is pumping heat out of the insulated space inside and into your kitchen (or more likely a little-seen space behind the fridge). Now imagine you reversed this process. The inside space would now get hot. And the outside space would get cold. That’s what happens when you turn your heat pump on in the winter. 

If you aren’t interested in the mechanics of how a heat pump works, that’s really all you need to know. Heat pumps are reversible refrigerators. They’re air conditioners that also work as space heaters. And they are the most efficient way to heat and cool a home. 

But my guess is that many of you want to understand how these things actually work. So let’s dive a little deeper. 

How does a heat pump actually work?

In order to understand how a heat pump works, it’s helpful to understand the basics of the second law of thermodynamics. I know how that reads, but trust me, we can make it quick.

In simple terms, this law tells us that hot always wants to move to cold. Put a frozen bag of soup in a bowl of hot water and it will thaw. Open the door of your house in the winter and all the warm air will rush outside. In both of these examples, heat is moving from a high temperature space to a lower temperature space nearby. 

A heat pump takes advantage of this law. In cooling mode, it makes the coils inside the unit very cold, so that your home’s warmer air flows into it. That captured heat energy is then carried outside. In this way the coils are sort of like a warmth vacuum or magnet. 

How do the coils of the inside unit absorb heat like this? One way to think of it is that the heat pump is sweating for your house. Let me explain.

Within the coils, there’s something called a refrigerant. Compared to water, refrigerants have a much lower boiling point. This means it takes far less energy to change their state from a liquid to a gas. It also means they are great at absorbing and releasing heat. 

Before entering the coils, the refrigerant passes through an expansion valve. This reduces the pressure, which also reduces the boiling point. 

At this lower boiling point, some of the refrigerant vaporizes as it reaches the heat pump’s cooling coil. Another way of saying this is that some of the refrigerant evaporates. Hence why the heat pump’s cooling coil is also called an evaporator. 

Whenever something evaporates, heat is transferred into it. This is why when you sweat on a hot day, you feel cooler. (To learn about the science behind this, check out this video on Khan Academy).

The same thing happens when the low-pressure refrigerant evaporates. As the refrigerant changes states from liquid to vapor, heat from the air in your home is transferred into the refrigerant. The refrigerant has, in essence, soaked up some heat from the inside air. The refrigerant acts like perspiration for your home, minus the stinky smell of sweat.

Here’s a more accurate version of the image above, showing the refrigerant getting warmer as it absorbs energy from the air.

From here, the refrigerant travels to the outside unit, where it passes through a compressor that increases its pressure and temperature. This causes the boiling point to shoot back up again, so that the vapor refrigerant condenses back into a liquid when it reaches the heat pump’s outdoor coil. 

Now, instead of absorbing energy, the refrigerant must release energy in order to change phases. This is sped up by a fan that blows the outside air over the coils in the condenser. This is the phase that creates the heat you feel behind a refrigerator.

From here the cycle repeats until the ideal temperature inside is reached. 

So that’s how a heat pump works in cooling mode. By using a little electricity to run refrigerant through a compressor and an expansion valve, and blow some air over it to move things along, this technology can pump heat from the inside air to outside air. 

But what if we want to warm up our home instead of cooling it down? 

How does a heat pump work in the winter?

In heating mode, a heat pump works in much the same way. But the process is sort of reversed. Heat is pumped from the outside air into your home. 

At first, this is a little hard to wrap your head around. If it’s 10 degrees outside, how can a heat pump absorb any energy? 

Consider this: Even on a cold day, there is energy in the air. At a microscopic level, heat is basically just molecules bouncing around. Molecules bounce around a little slower in cold air than in hot air, but they are bouncing around nonetheless. In fact, there would be energy in the air all the way down to –459.67°F or –273.15°C, a temperature known as absolute zero. 

A heat pump absorbs energy from the outside air by offering it something even colder to flow into. It does this by pushing refrigerant through an expansion valve in order to reduce the pressure. At this lower pressure, the boiling point goes down and the refrigerant boils. 

In other words, the refrigerant changes state from liquid to gas; it vaporizes. That’s why the unit that this happens in is called the evaporator. (Careful readers will note that the evaporator and condenser are really the same thing. They’re just coils whose name depends on whether we’re in heating mode or cooling mode). 

As I mentioned in the previous section, when something evaporates, it must absorb energy. In this case, the refrigerant is much colder than the outside air (an impressive feat in the winter, but true). Because hot wants to move to cold, some energy passes from the outdoor air to the refrigerant. 

From here the refrigerant travels into the home, where it passes through a compressor that increases its pressure. This causes the boiling point to go up. As refrigerant passes through the indoor coils, it changes state from a vapor to a liquid. In other words, it condenses. 

Whenever something changes state from a gas to a liquid, energy must be released. In this case, the energy of the refrigerant passes into the air inside your home. 

And that’s it. Heat gets absorbed into the refrigerant in the outside unit and then gets released inside. In this way, the heat pump moves the heat energy from the outside air into your home. Which is all to say, yes, heat pumps work in cold climates.

Heat pumps are more efficient than traditional heaters and air conditioners

By essentially exploiting the laws of thermodynamics, a heat pump heats and cools a home more efficiently than any other HVAC system. 

The most efficient natural gas furnace, for example, might work at 98% efficiency. What that means is that for every 100 units of energy that the furnace consumes, 98 units are converted into useful heat. Baseboard heaters and electric furnaces, to give a few more examples, operate at 100% efficiency. 

Heat pumps, by comparison, typically operate at 200% to 400% efficiency. In other words, they consume 1 kWh of electricity, and then convert that into 2 to 4 kWh of energy in the form of heat. 

That’s why, for most homeowners, heat pumps are the most efficient way to heat and cool a home. That they also can run without fossil fuels, whether in the home or at the power station, is almost just a bonus.

Special thanks to Kevin Kircher at MIT who reviewed this article before publication.

The post How Does a Heat Pump Work? appeared first on Carbon Switch.

Many homeowners replace broken HVAC systems with a new version of the same product. But if you have an electric furnace, this decision could cost you $10,000 to $25,000 in unnecessary utility bills over the next 10-20 years. 

That’s because electric furnaces are one of the least efficient ways to heat your home. The average homeowner can expect to pay about $1,300 per year to heat their home using an electric furnace. 

By comparison the average homeowner can expect to spend $500 to $600 heating their home using a heat pump. In other words, electric furnaces cost about twice as much to operate than heat pumps. 

In this guide we’ll go over how electric furnaces work, the pros and cons of installing an electric furnace, and how they compare to heat pumps and other heating systems.

How do electric furnaces work?

You can think of an electric furnace working like a massive hair dryer. Colder indoor air is pulled into a heat exchanger where it is heated over electric heating elements. A blower fan then blows the warm air through ductwork to heat your house.

Your home’s thermostat is connected with the furnace to control when the heating elements and blower fan turn on. If the indoor temperature is below the set temperature, they turn on, and when it’s reached, they turn off.

Unlike gas, propane, and oil furnaces, electric furnaces don’t need venting since there’s no risk of CO2 poisoning. 

Electric furnace sizing and capacity

Electric furnaces are generally sized in two units: British Thermal Units (BTUs) and kilowatts (KWs). These are different metrics that essentially communicate the same thing: how much heat a furnace can generate. 

1 KW is equal to 3,412 BTUs. 

Here’s a table showing the most common electric furnace sizes in KWs and BTUs:

A home in a moderate climate needs about 25 to 45 BTUs per square foot. If you’re in a cold climate zone, you’ll need 45 to 60 BTUs per square foot.

But these are just rules of thumb that can give you a roundabout idea of your home’s needs. The best way to figure out how much capacity you need for a furnace or heat pump is to get an energy audit or a Manual J test.

Electric furnace prices and cost

Electric furnace prices range from $650 for small budget furnaces to about $5,000 for large, variable-speed models. 

Models with variable speed blowers are able to keep your home at more consistent temperatures and save energy, but they’re also more expensive. High end brands like King Electric, Stelpro, and Winchester cost between $1,100 and $5,600 before installation.

Single speed blower models will have less temperature variability, but cost less. Budget brands like Goodman and Direct Comfort cost between $650 and $900 for the unit alone. 

Average installation cost

According to Modernize, the installed cost of an electric furnace ranges from $1,200 to $5,900. The average cost to install an electric furnace is about $3,500. 

Installation costs vary depending on the following factors: 

• Whether or not you need to install new ductwork 
• Whether or not you need to do any electrical work
• The size of your home
• Whether it’s a new install or a replacement

New installs are generally more expensive than replacements because of all the other work you’ll need, like installing new ductwork.

The larger your home, the larger the furnace you’ll need to adequately heat it. Electric furnaces are sized by the kW or BTU. 

But installation cost isn’t the only thing to consider. While electric furnaces cost less upfront, they are far less energy efficient than heat pumps. Installing an electric furnace could cost you $10,000 to $25,000 in unnecessary utility bills over the next 10-20 years. 

Average cost to operate per year

The average home in America is about 2,000 square feet and uses 35 million BTUs of energy for space heating. That’s the equivalent of about 10,000 kWh per year. So at an average price of $0.13 per kWh for electricity, that means electric furnaces cost about $1,300 per year on average to operate. 

But if you live in a colder climate, you can expect that number to be much higher. For example, in the Northeast the average home uses about 50 million BTUs of energy for space heating, or roughly 15,000 kWh per year. And electricity costs about $0.20 per kWh there. So if you live in the Northeast, electric furnaces cost about $3,000 per year.

Here’s a table showing how much it would cost the average homeowner to heat their home using an electric furnace by census region: 

Pros of electric furnaces

• Electric furnaces are relatively cheap and easy to install. The upfront costs are about half the cost of a gas furnace or heat pump.
• They have a long operating life and are easy to maintain. A good electric furnace can last for 20 to 30 years. 
• Electric furnaces are safe to run and don’t have the risks of carbon monoxide like gas furnaces. 

Cons of electric furnaces 

• They are expensive to operate. The upfront savings you get will be quickly eaten away by high energy bills.
• Electric furnaces are not well suited for colder climates (mostly because you’ll spend a fortunate on electricity)
• Most of the country still relies on coal for electricity. That high electricity use equals a larger carbon footprint.

Electric furnace vs. heat pump

The main benefit of electric furnaces compared to heat pumps is their lower upfront cost. But this comes with a major tradeoff: electric furnaces are far more expensive to operate than heat pumps. 

Heat pumps use advanced technology to heat and cool homes at 200-400% efficiency. In other words, they turn 1 kWh of electricity into 2 to 4 kWh of heat. The result: much lower utility bills.

Why an electric furnace is better

• An electric furnace is cheaper to buy and install. The upfront cost of a heat pump is on average $10,000, compared to an average of about $4,000 for an electric furnace.
• It has a longer lifespan. An electric furnace will last 20 to 30 years with regular maintenance, while a heat pump will last about 15 years because it’s used year-round (to heat and cool your home).

Why a heat pump is better

• It’s far more energy efficient, which equals much lower energy bills. When you switch from an electric furnace to a heat pump, you’ll save $815 a year. That savings will pay back the upfront cost in 11 years.
• A heat pump is heating and cooling in one. The same energy efficient heat exchange process keeps your home comfortable year round.
• All electric furnaces require ductwork. Heat pumps on the other hand come in ductless models, often called mini-splits. 
• The energy savings also means you’ll reduce your carbon emissions. Switching from an electric furnace to a heat pump reduces your home’s yearly carbon dioxide emissions by an average of 5.1 metric tons.
• It’s a more comfortable heat. Electric furnaces produce a dry heat that can cause dry skin and irritate allergies and asthma. A heat pump pulls in air from outside for heating, which has more moisture.

Electric furnace vs. gas furnace

The main advantage of electric furnaces compared to gas furnaces is the fact that they don’t require a gas line. If you’re home doesn’t already have a gas line it generally costs about $1,000 to add one. But in some cases – like in more rural places – it’s not even possible.

If you have a gas line, then the main advantage of a gas furnace is the fact that natural gas is generally cheaper per BTU than electricity. 

For example, based on average utility rates in America, it costs about $16 per delivered BTU to use an 80% efficiency gas furnace. An electric furnace by comparison costs about $41 per delivered BTU. In other words, it costs 2.5x more per BTU to heat a home with a gas furnace than an electric furnace. 

It’s worth noting that because a heat pump runs at 250% efficiency, they cost about the same per delivered BTU as an 80% efficiency gas furnace — about $16 per delivered BTU. But in the case of a heat pump you get air conditioning too, hence why they are generally regarded as the best option. 

Why an electric furnace is better

• An electric furnace has a lower upfront cost than a gas furnace. A gas furnace requires extra infrastructure for piping in natural gas and venting out the carbon monoxide gas that’s produced from combustion, which makes it cost around twice as much to install.
• An electric furnace is safer because it doesn’t produce carbon monoxide like a gas furnace.
• An electric furnace will likely last longer than a gas furnace. It won’t need replacing for 20 to 30 years compared to 15 – 25 years for a gas furnace. Maintenance is also easier and cheaper to keep up with.

Why a gas furnace is better

• A gas furnace has much lower energy bills because of the lower cost of natural gas.
• If the power goes out, your gas furnace will still keep you warm on a cold night. 

Electric furnace vs. baseboard heating 

Baseboard heating systems are a type of zone heating that allow you to control the temperature in individual rooms. The baseboard unit, which runs along the bottom of the wall, uses a metal heating element to generate and slowly release heat into the room where it’s placed.

Unlike an electric furnace, there’s no need for ducts or blowers like other forms of heating.

Why electric furnace is better

• Forced air is more energy efficient than baseboard heating which amounts to lower energy bills.
• It’s less restrictive when it comes to furniture placement and design. There is no fire risk and no wall units to worry about.
• Baseboard heaters have to be cleaned regularly to operate at their maximum efficiency. Forced air requires less cleaning to function properly.

Why baseboard heating is better

• Baseboard heating is inexpensive to install. The average upfront cost is around $500-1,000 per room.
• You can customize temperatures in each room by installing units where you need them.
• It runs quietly because there are no furnaces, ducts, and vents to make noise.
• There’s no need for ductwork, so it’s easier and less expensive to install.

Electric furnaces are an attractive option because of their lower upfront cost, but a heat pump is the most energy efficient option in every climate. As a result, heat pumps can save you the most money over time. 

On average, American homeowners can save $557 per year on heating and cooling costs by making the switch from another heating source. Homeowners that currently use an electric furnace or baseboards and air conditioning can expect to save between $1,000 to $1,500 per year switching to a heat pump. 

To learn more about heat pumps, check out our guide here.

The post The Problem With Electric Furnaces appeared first on Carbon Switch.

On the surface, baseboard heat seems to have many advantages. Baseboard heaters are cheap and easy to install. They allow “zoned-heat,” giving you more control over the temperature of each room. And they don’t require ducts.

But there’s one big problem with baseboard heating: it’s incredibly expensive to operate. That is, homes with baseboard heat have much higher utility bills than homes with heat pumps or other HVAC systems.

In fact, according to an analysis we did recently for our heat pump savings guide, homes that use baseboard heat and traditional air conditioning spend on average $1,300 more per year than homes with heat pumps. 

In this guide we’ll go over how baseboard heat works, the pros and cons of baseboard heating, and how they compare to ductless mini-split heat pumps and other heating systems.

How does baseboard heat work?

Baseboard heating systems are a type of zone heating that allow you to control the temperature in individual rooms. The baseboard unit, which runs along the bottom of the wall, uses a metal heating element to generate and slowly release heat into the room where it’s placed.

Like other electric resistance heating systems, baseboard heaters convert 100% of the energy they use into heat (compared to natural gas furnaces that generally only convert 80% of their energy into heat).

With baseboard heating, there’s no need for furnaces, ducts, or blowers. The unit creates heat from electricity, gas or water, and it slowly rises from the floor to the ceiling to warm the room.

Types of baseboard heaters

Electric baseboard heat 

Electric baseboard heaters are the most common type in America. The heating elements inside are made of electric coils that heat up much like the heating elements in a toaster. A switch on the unit turns it on or off.

Hydronic baseboard heat 

Instead of electricity, hydronic baseboard heaters use liquid to heat the copper coils inside the unit. These units are connected to a central boiler in the home that’s heated by gas, oil, or electricity. 

Water or oil is heated in the boiler and then runs through pipes to the baseboard heater. When the liquid cools, it returns to the boiler to be reheated.

Baseboard heating cost

Upfront cost

Baseboard heaters generally cost about $500 per unit to install. So if you want to put them in 5 rooms, it will cost you $2,500.

But most of that $500 will go towards the labor of the installer you hire. Units only cost about $100 a piece. So you can bring that cost down significantly by installing the baseboards yourself. Here’s a good YouTube video on how to install baseboard heaters.

Annual cost

The average home in America is about 2,000 square feet and uses 35 million BTUs of energy for space heating. That’s the equivalent of about 10,000 kWh per year. So at an average price of $0.13 per kWh for electricity, that means baseboard heaters cost about $1,300 per year on average. 

But if you live in a colder climate, you can expect that number to be much higher. For example, in the Northeast the average home uses about 50 million BTUs of energy for space heating, or roughly 15,000 kWh per year. And electricity costs about $0.20 per kWh there. So if you live in the Northeast, baseboard heaters cost about $3,000 per year.

Here’s a table showing how much it would cost the average homeowner to heat their home using baseboard by census region:

Pros of baseboard heat

Like any heating option, there are pros and cons of baseboard heat. First, let’s look at the pros.

Zone heating

Baseboard heaters give you a way to control the temperature in individual rooms without the use of smart home technology. Bedrooms and living spaces can have the heaters turned on when they’re occupied and off when they aren’t. 

If one room runs cooler than the others and needs a boost, a baseboard heater can raise the temperature in that room without cranking up the heat elsewhere.

While it’s tempting to think that this makes them more energy efficient than other types of heating, that’s not the case. As we mentioned earlier, homes that use baseboard heaters and traditional air conditioning spend about $1,300 more per year than homes that use other ductless heating systems like mini-split heat pumps.

Easy installation

Baseboard heating systems are easier and cheaper to install than other types of heating because they don’t require ductwork. The units are mounted to the wall and hardwired into the house’s electrical lines.

Even hydronic baseboard heaters that require tubing to run inside the walls, floors or ceilings are less expensive to install than ductwork.

This can make baseboard heaters a great option if you just need to heat a single room — like an infrequently used guest room or bathroom. 

One thing to note for electric baseboard heating: there are both 120 volt baseboard heaters and 240 volt baseboard heaters. 120 volt baseboards are easier to install because they don’t require additional electrical upgrades. You can just plug them into an outlet. 240 volt baseboard heaters on the other hand require their own dedicated 20 amp circuit and 12-gauge wire. 

The Spruce has a great article on how to install a 240-Volt electric baseboard heater.

Secondary source of heat 

If you live in a place with extremely cold winters and your home doesn’t have proper insulation, an electric heat pump may not be able to keep up with below freezing temperatures. Baseboard heaters are a good solution for those days when you need supplemental heat in the most used spaces in your home. 

That backup source of heat will keep your heat pump from constantly running in vain.

Cons of baseboard heat

There are downsides to baseboard heating systems that can make them impractical and expensive.

Baseboard heating cost

As we mentioned above, baseboard heaters cost a lot more to operate than other heating systems like heat pumps. You can expect to spend about anywhere from $500-1,500 more per year to heat a home with baseboards than a more efficient system like a ductless mini-split heat pump.

The placement of baseboard heaters — near windows and exterior walls — also makes them inefficient. Each unit has a thermostat on the unit that controls how much it works to heat up the room. If the thermostat senses cold nearby, such as drafts from old windows, it’s going to work even harder trying to keep the room warm.

That constant battling of cold drafts amounts to high utility bills, especially during the coldest months of winter.

Interior design

Electric baseboards get hot, which means you have to keep furniture and curtains at least six inches away from them to prevent fire.

You can’t use long drapes on windows that share a wall with a baseboard heater. You can’t have couches or beds up against those walls. All of this limits your interior design options and can make it difficult to place furniture in those rooms.

Safety hazard

Electric baseboard heaters get very hot. They pose a fire risk if things are placed too close or on top of them. If you have young children in the house, they can also be a burn risk.

The heating elements are tucked inside the unit, but the cover itself also heats up. You have to watch children constantly to make sure they don’t touch them when they’re on.

Hydronic baseboard heaters do not pose the same level of risk as electric baseboard heaters. While they do get hot, it’s not hot enough to start a fire.

Dry heat 

The heat generated by baseboard heaters is a very dry heat. People who use them often get dry skin, dry throats, dry eyes and bloody noses.

You can use a humidifier to add moisture to the air, but that requires more electricity and regular cleaning. 

Baseboard heating vs. forced air heating

Forced air heating is one of the most common ways to heat your home. The system draws in cool air from inside your home, heats it, and then distributes it through your home using ducts and vents.

What makes baseboard heating better

Baseboard heating has some benefits compared to forced air heating.

• You can customize temperatures in each room by installing units where you need them.
• It runs quietly because there’s no fan constantly blowing.
• There’s no need for ductwork, so it’s easier and less expensive to install. 

What makes forced air heating better

Forced air beats baseboard heating in some major ways.

• Forced air is more energy efficient than baseboard heating which amounts to lower energy bills.
• It’s less restrictive when it comes to furniture placement and design. There is no fire risk and no wall units to worry about.
• Baseboard heaters have to be cleaned regularly to operate at their maximum efficiency. Forced air requires less cleaning to function properly.

Baseboard heat vs. ductless mini-splits

If you’re looking to upgrade your heating system, but forced air isn’t an option because of the ductwork or cost, there’s another option: a ductless mini-split heat pump.

As the name suggests, a ductless heat pump doesn’t use ducts to connect the air handlers. Individual air handlers are connected to a compressor outside with copper conduit that runs through the wall. 

What makes baseboards better

Baseboard heaters have one major advantage over ductless mini-splits: they’re cheaper to install upfront.

The average cost of installing electric baseboard heating is $800 per room, while the upfront cost of a ductless heat pump system is closer to $2,000 per room. If you’re only replacing the heating system in one zone of the house and a heat pump is too expensive, baseboards might make sense.

But the lower upfront cost of baseboard heat will come back to bite you in the form of higher utility bills. As mentioned above, the average homeowner will spend about $1,300 more per year using baseboards and traditional air conditioning than a mini-split heat pump (which heats and cools a home). 

What makes ductless heat pumps better

If you have the money to invest in a heat pump, it has a lot of advantages, especially when it comes to energy savings.

Heat pumps are far more energy efficient than baseboard heating. The average household could save about $1,300 per year by using a heat pump system instead of baseboard heating and traditional air conditioning, with a payback time of seven years. That energy savings also means that your annual carbon emissions can be reduced by 7.6 metric tons per household by making the switch.

Heat pumps also act as air conditioners. A heat pump heats your home in the winter and cools it in the summer, without the need for a separate unit. So when you install mini-splits you get the benefit of a zoned-air conditioning system too.

In general, mini-splits are a much better option than baseboard heaters. They cost more upfront, but deliver benefits in the form of comfort and bill savings for years.

To learn more about mini-splits, check out our heat pump buyer’s guide. Or check out how much it would cost to install a heat pump here.

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