The next HVAC system in my house is going to be a heat pump

Now that I’m no longer living paycheck to paycheck, I would like to put my new income to good use around the house.

  • I want to make improvements where I can to better our lives and add value to the house.

More equity is always a good thing, and sometimes you can use it to negotiate a better mortgage with a lower interest rate. Part of this process involved adding a swimming pool in the backyard. I kept my plans a secret from my wife and my children so I could surprise them once I had the deal negotiated with the pool company. I didn’t want to get them excited in the off chance that I couldn’t afford the project after speaking with several pool contractors in the area. As much as I love the new pool, I had no interest in stopping my home improvement projects there. We have an air conditioner in the house that is almost 14 years old, which means that it needs to be replaced in the next few years. Obviously we could buy a similar system to replace the old one while looking for something more energy efficient, but I have different plans. I want to invest in a heat pump instead of a traditional air conditioner. I’m fascinated by a heat pump’s ability at transferring heat energy from indoors to outdoors, and vice versa. During the warm months it pulls heat energy from your house and releases it outside through the condenser unit, just like a traditional air conditioner. But during the winter the whole process is reversed, and whatever heat energy in the ambient air is transferred inside. Imagine installing a window air conditioner backwards in a window, and that’s essentially what you get. All of that heat that normally leaves your house and goes outdoors is instead harvested from outdoor air and pushed indoors to heat your home.

HVAC unit