High Efficiency Heat Pumps More than 20,000 high efficiency ductless heat pumps have been installed in Maine homes and businesses in the past 3 years. Word is spreading quickly about how this exciting new technology is able to extract heat from outdoor air (even when it is very cold) and deliver heat energy into homes. There are over 400 Registered Vendors actively installing units around the state who are familiar with the highest performing models as well as our rebate process. Heat pumps can also be part of larger home energy upgrades that qualify for up to $5,000 in incentives. Efficiency Maine offers residential rebates through the Home Energy Savings Program on the installation of eligible high efficiency heat pumps. Click here for Eligibility Criteria and Units. Other important forms include the HESP Rebate Claim Form and the Heat Pump Installation Checklist which needs to be submitted with the claim form and a paid invoice. $500 rebates are available toward installation of ductless heat pumps that provide a single or first zone of heating in your home.

An additional rebate of $250 is available for ductless heat pump installations that provide a second zone of heating in your home. The combination of these rebates can be received with either multiple single indoor unit systems or with a single larger system installed with multiple indoor blower units and completed on or after 9/14/16. Heat pump rebates require heat pumps that meet minimum efficiency standards and are installed by a Registered Vendor. Click on the video below to see a Ductless Heat Pump Case Study in Presque Isle: Registered Heat Pump Installers – Click here to find some installers in your area that sell heat pumps. Get incentives and financing for energy upgrades – Click here to find out about loans and incentives for projects that include energy assessments, air sealing, insulation, heat pumps and more. Cost of Heating Comparison Calculator – Click here to find out how much you could save by using heat pumps. Find more information about this exciting technology below:

Long used for cooling in warm climates, heat pumps are now one of the fastest growing technologies for ultra-efficient heating in cold climates. Rather than generate heat from combustion or electric resistance, heat pumps extract heat from outside air or the ground and deliver it indoors as needed. This process is a more cost-effective way to heat than most conventional systems. In the summer, heat pumps can reverse and work as air conditioners, cooling indoors and rejecting heat outside.ac unit for truck Watch this video to learn more about heat pumps.who makes the best window air conditioning units Heat pumps generally fall into two categories:green hvac units Air-source heat pumps draw heat from an outdoor unit and deliver it indoors.

In the summer, they reverse and act as high-efficiency air conditioners. A. Ductless heat pumps have one outdoor unit connected to one or more indoor units with small copper lines. These are the most efficient air-source systems and are often installed in homes and offices to supplement existing systems, usually in the most frequently used rooms like family rooms or bedrooms. Over the course of a typical Maine winter, these units can deliver more than three units of heat for every unit of electricity used. B. Ducted heat pumps have an outdoor unit connected to a building’s ductwork. Like ductless heat pumps, ducted heat pumps can both heat and cool buildings. Ground-source heat pumps or “geothermal” heat pumps draw heat from the soil or groundwater and transfer it to a ducted air distribution system or radiators. Ground-source heat pumps are typically more efficient and more expensive than air-source heat pumps. Low-cost heat – The cost of heating with a heat pump is similar to heating with natural gas or wood.

This is typically half the cost of heating with oil, kerosene, electric baseboard or propane. Click here to compare heating costs of different heating systems. Low-cost air conditioning – Today’s best heat pumps are twice as efficient as typical air conditioners. Comfort – With advances in controls, heat pumps can maintain very constant temperatures. Safety – Because heat pumps are electrically powered, there is no risk of combustion gas leaks. Air quality – Heat pumps filter air as they heat/cool/dehumidify it. Cold temperature performance – As outdoor temperatures drop, so does the efficiency of an air-source heat pump. For example, a unit that delivers four units of heat for every unit of electricity at 50°F, may only deliver two units of heat for every unit of electricity at temperatures below zero. There is evidence of highest performance units operating and providing heat even below -15 °F in Presque Isle but if the temperature drops low enough, the system may turn off completely.

For this reason, homeowners may choose to keep existing heating systems in place to serve as a secondary backup when outdoor air temperatures are very low. Click here for a ductless heat pump e-brochure. Click here for a ductless heat pump user tips guide.At some point during their ownership, many homeowners may have to replace their central air-conditioning systems. The average life span of central air-conditioning system is 12- to 15- years if it is properly installed and maintained. Heat pumps have about the same life-span — about 14 years — when recommended maintenance is followed. Newer units manufactured in recent years are expected to last even longer. However, when the system starts giving you more problems than seem cost-effective to fix, it may be time to consider purchasing a new system. When faced with major repair or replace decisions, you may wish to consult HVAC contractors for their recommendations. It is important to know that split air-conditioning or heat pump systems — the most common types used in US homes — consist of two parts: an indoor (coil) unit and an outdoor (condensing) unit.

These two components are specifically designed to work together as a coordinated “team” to provide top performance and maximum efficiency and comfort. In the past, homeowners could sometimes replace part of their system, such as the outdoor condensing unit, to extend its useful life. However, air-conditioning and heat pump systems manufactured today must have a seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) of 13 or higher. The federal government sets the minimum efficiency standards for central air-conditioners and heat pumps. For these new, high-efficiency systems to work properly and to extend their life, the outdoor unit and indoor unit must be properly matched. So if you install a new high efficiency outdoor unit, but don’t install a new, equally efficient and properly matched indoor unit, the results could be uncomfortable, unreliable, and inefficient. Because newer equipment usually is more energy efficient than older central air-conditioning or heat-pump systems, you will likely see reduced utility bills

Ask your neighbors or friends for recommendations for HVAC contractors they have worked with and trust. You should talk to a few different contractors and obtain more than one quote to compare. Another way to increase your chances of obtaining a quality installation is selecting a contractor that employs technicians who have been certified by North American Technician Excellence (NATE). To become NATE-certified, technicians have to pass a nationally recognized test to demonstrate they have the knowledge to properly size, install, and repair today’s increasingly sophisticated heating and cooling systems. To find contractors who employ NATE-certified technicians, go to HVACR Advice and type in your zip code to pull a list of certified technicians in your area.If a system is undersized, it may run nearly continuously, but without ever properly cooling your home. If oversized, the system could cycle on and off too frequently, greatly reducing its ability to control humidity, and will also will be less efficient than a system that is appropriately sized.

To properly size a system for a home, trained technicians will use an equation (a “load calculation”) that factors the home’s age, the number and quality of its windows, how well it is insulated, how many stories it has, its total square footage, and other relevant factors. Homeowners should ask their technicians to perform a Manual J load calculation, the industry’s term for the standardized equation used to properly size an air-conditioning system. Air-conditioning and heat pump manufacturers are required by law to evaluate and rate their equipments energy efficiency. This standard rating for measuring central air-conditioners and heat pump cooling efficiency is its Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER). When heat pumps are heating your home, the Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF) is used to determine its efficiency at performing this function. The higher the SEER/HSPF, the more efficient the equipment The Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) is also sometimes used to assess performance of residential air-conditioners during hot outdoor temperatures.

Many manufacturers voluntarily submit their products for testing by the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) to assure consumers their energy efficiency claims have been verified by an independent, third-party laboratory. For split systems, AHRI tests combinations of indoor and outdoor units to verify the system’s performance claims. It is important for consumers to double check the indoor and outdoor units are a certified match by asking their technician for an AHRI Certified Reference Number (formerly ARI Reference Number) or an AHRI Certificate of Product Ratings (formerly Certificate of Certified Product Performance) that can be downloaded from the CEE Directory. You can verify your split system is a properly matched by asking your HVAC technician to provide you with an AHRI Certified Reference Number (formerly ARI Reference Number) or an AHRI Certificate of Product Ratings (formerly Certificate of Certified Product Performance). The reference number can be entered into the CEE Directory to verify that you have a matched system and to obtain a Certificate of Certified Product Performance.

For higher efficiency systems, the certificate may be used to support an application for either a federal tax credit or a rebate or incentive from your local utility or municipality. If you do not have an AHRI Certified Reference Number (formerly ARI Reference Number) or an AHRI Certificate of Product Ratings (formerly Certificate of Certified Product Performance) to locate your air-conditioning equipment in the CEE Directory, you will need the manufacturer’s name, model name, and model numbers for both the indoor and outdoor units. Your contractor is the best source to obtain the AHRI Certified Reference Number. Obtain a Quality Installation. Make sure your contractors installs your new equipment according to the ANSI Quality Installation Standard. Properly seal and insulate your ducts. Sealing and insulating can reduce your total energy use by more than 20 percent. Focus first on ducts that run through unconditioned space such as your garage or attic, and seal ducts with mastic or foil-backed tape.