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Hybrid or Dual Fuel Systems
With the threat of energy prices increasing every year the idea of high efficiency and energy savings becomes more and more real to residents of the hydroelectric charged northeast. One approach that is very popular today is called a “dual fuel” heating system. First let’s define what a dual fuel system is. Simply stated, a dual fuel system is combining the installation of a gas or oil furnace with a heat pump.
Obviously before we can continue, let’s be sure we understand what a heat pump is, as some people still have difficulty understanding just how a heat pump works…how an air conditioner can provide heat.
The simplest definition of heat pump that I know is to say that in the heating mode, a heat pump is a reverse air conditioner. In the summer, a heat pump or an air conditioner, extracts heat from within your house and discharges it outside, thereby leaving the air within the structure, cooler. In the winter, by reversing the flow of refrigerant and it’s process, it extracts heat from outside of the house and brings it inside where it is discharged into the house through ductwork.
You asking how the heck can you get any heat from outdoors in the winter…If you take 70 degree air and remove 10 degrees of heat from it, you now have left, 60 degree air. That’s what a heat pump does. Through reverse refrigeration, a heat pump can extract heat from the outside air by extracting (absorbing) it into the refrigerant via the compressor and it can do this more efficiently and cleaner than any other type of system…that is, until the outside temperature gets to about 32 degrees.
Now while no other system operates more efficiently and cost effectively for heating than a heat pump within certain temperature ranges; a heat pump's capacity decreases when the outside temperature falls below 32 degrees… when it typically has to use electric strip heat to provide the supplementary heat needed at these times.
Now heres the scoop; by combining the efficiency of a heat pump during it's peak operating period with the high efficiency of a gas furnace, oil furnace or boiler for the times when it is less efficient, a Dual Fuel System provides the maximum efficiency, payback and comfort level of both fuels and systems available. Because our electric rates here in the Northeast are far more stable than in other areas around the country and far more reasonable what we are all more concerned about is the increased we have experienced in gas and oil prices. This makes the heat pump even more attractive than normal.
Who is installing dual fuel heating systems? The first group are customers who already have furnaces and boilers in their homes and whose central air conditioners need replacing. When their air conditioner goes bad, some consumers are upgrading with a heat pump to work in conjunction with their existing furnace or boiler heating system. This gives them the advantage of a new air conditioner for better cooling comfort and a heat pump (they are the same unit), which can be used most efficiently for heating on those days when the temperature is above 32 degrees.
The largest group of homeowners interested in dual fuel systems are those that have watched oil prices rocket to record highs these past months, and which are predicted to rise even higher this winter…people who have read various consumer reports like the Energy Department report last Wednesday that stated “ Winter heating bills will be a third to a half higher for most families across the country, with the sharpest increases expected for those who heat with natural gas. The Department said natural gas users can expect to pay an average of $350 more during the upcoming winter compared to last year, an increase of 48 percent. Those who heat their homes with fuel oil will pay $378 more, or 32 percent higher than last winter.
How do I benefit? If you have an oil or gas system, you can benefit by adding an electric system (heat pump). If you presently have an electric system (heat pump) you can still benefit by adding oil or natural gas. Dual Fuel heating enables you to add a second heating system to your current system and gives you an appealing alternative to the roller coaster pricing of fuel oil and most gas heating systems because Dual Fuel rates are most likely to remain stable year round.
Free of charge and with no obligation our speciaists are available to provide you with answers to any additional questions you may have…including (1) the feasibility of installing a dual fuel system in your home and (2) an estimated cost.
A dual-fuel unit costs about $600 to $1,000 more than conventional heating and cooling systems because you’re getting essentially two systems in one. But the amount you'll save in the next two to three years from lower heating costs will more than make up the difference you'll spend on a better system.
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