A heat pump is a wrinkle on the traditional notion of air conditioning systems, which circulate refrigerant in a close loop. AC systems first vent hot air outside your home, then lower the temperature of air inside the system before blowing it into your home with a fan. Heat pumps similarly offer a “reversible” variation of that cycle: allowing you to heat the home as well as cool it with just the flick of a switch. Heat pumps are more expensive than traditional air conditioners, but provide a number of benefits that Portland, OR residents would do well to consider. Here’s a few of them laid out for you.

Heat pumps don’t rely on gas or other fuel to generate warmth: just the cycle of refrigerant and the electricity required to power it. That means you can heat your home for much less than you might with another system, lowering those monthly heating bills in the bargain.

Heat pumps used to work best in areas where the temperatures rarely dipped below freezing. Portland’s winters are comparatively mild, but we still have our share of cold fronts that come rolling in. Recent advances in heat pump technology have mead them effective at much colder temperatures, however, which means you can run it without fear no matter how cold the temperature gets.

Since heat pumps combine the effects of a heater and an air conditioner into one, you don’t need to worry about the separate needs of a heater and an air conditioner. That makes repairs and upgrades a lot easier to handle, as well as simplifying the specifics of your HVAC system more than you can imagine.

If a heat pump sounds right for your home, or you already own one and it needs repairs or maintenance, then the Clean Air Act is here to help!

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