The How and Why of Heat Pumps

The term “heat pump” is frequently used in reference to a heating and air-conditioning system, but not every homeowner is familiar with what a heat pump is, or what it does.  In the simplest definition, a heat pump is an air conditioner that can reverse its operation to move heat into the house, instead of out.

The movement of heat

Most everyone is familiar with what an air conditioner does.  It creates cool air, which is then circulated through a house’s ductwork by the furnace or air handler.  But strictly speaking, an air conditioner doesn’t “make cold,” it “gets rid of heat.”

The refrigerant that Betlem Residential puts into an air-conditioning system circulates back and forth between the air conditioner outside, and the coil inside, gathering heat as it goes.  Once that heat gets outside the home, the air conditioner disperses it.

Standing next to an air conditioner, you can feel a steady stream of warm air coming off of it. This heat isn’t generated by the air conditioner’s motor or fan; it’s the heat that was previously in the house, being vented into the atmosphere.

The heat pump difference

When a heat pump operates during warm weather, it performs exactly like an air conditioner.  It gathers the heat that’s inside the house, and vents it outside.

When cold weather arrives, however, the heat pump is able to reverse its operation. It gathers heat from the outside air and moves it inside to warm the house.  Because even when the outside air feels cold on the skin, it still contains enough heat for the heat pump to gather and move inside.

Why select a heat pump?

The decision to choose a heat pump or a furnace for a home has to do with the climate in which the home is located. Heat pumps typically work better in warmer southern climates where winters aren’t too harsh. Since the air doesn’t get very cold, a heat pump can gather enough heat during cool weather or cold snaps to keep the home comfortable.

In northern climates that have colder winter weather, there is usually not much heat present in the air for a heat pump to collect.  And even if there is some heat present in the outside air, it may cost a lot of electricity for the heat pump to run long and fast enough to collect it.

For that reason, homes in northern climates typically elect to use a gas furnace  or oil-burning furnace for warmth.

Dual-fuel systems

For homes located in mild or moderate climates, a heat pump can be paired with a gas furnace to create a dual-fuel system.  In this configuration, you enjoy the best possible balance between comfort and energy efficiency.

In cool weather, when the seasons transition from summer to fall, the heat pump in a dual-fuel system keeps the home warm.  Because electricity is typically cheaper than gas, this means more energy-efficient comfort.

When winter arrives and the weather becomes colder, it would take substantially more electricity to draw in enough heat to keep the home warm.  So the dual-fuel system switches from the heat pump to the gas furnace to provide warmth.

The most energy-efficient warmth, every time

The system will continue to switch back and forth automatically between the electric heat pump and the gas furnace, based on whichever is most energy-efficient for the current weather.

The switching point is preprogrammed by Betlem Residential when the system is installed.  Since the switch point is based on prices of electricity and gas in the area in which the home is located, this allows customized energy savings.

To get the energy-conscious advantages of a heat pump in your home, or to discuss the year-round advantages of a dual-fuel system, please contact Betlem Residential.

The seasons are changing. Make sure your comfort stays consistent.

Fall can mean some pretty wonderful things. It’s the beginning of the holiday season, which brings with it food, family and celebrations. Fall also means changes in the landscape, with beautifully colored leaves and, often, a brisk chill in the air.

But while fall is a wonderful time of the year, it also means winter isn’t far behind. Make sure you’re ready for the coming cold weather with a system check from Betlem Residential.

A system check keeps your comfort going strong.

When you get your system checked, Betlem Residential will carefully inspect each piece of equipment to make sure it’s running at its best. This will make your system run more effectively and efficiently.

During your system check, Betlem Residential will:

• Check the refrigerant in your heat pump or air conditioner. Too much or too little refrigerant will inhibit the efficiency of your system and potentially cause compressor damage.
• Check filters or collection cells in your filtration system. A clogged or dirty filter makes your furnace or air handler work harder to move air, which wastes electricity and reduces the life of your system.
• Clean the blower motor and fan blades of your air handler or furnace. A clean fan and blower run more quietly and efficiently.
• Clean your indoor coil. A dirty coil can’t transfer heat as efficiently as a clean coil, which can inhibit system performance.
• Clean your outdoor coil. Like a dirty indoor coil, a dirty outdoor coil can’t transfer heat efficiently, which makes more work for the system while consuming more energy to keep you comfortable.
• Check the performance of your system. By measuring the effectiveness with which your system heats and cools compared to ambient air temperatures, your Lennox dealer can how well your system works, and whether or not problems may be developing.

A system check is a smart investment.

Having your system checked by Betlem can be a very smart investment. By paying a little money now, you help lower your energy costs over the entire season. That can translate to substantial savings in energy costs.

Having a system check now is also an investment in the life of your system. By catching small problems before they become big, you can save yourself costly repairs down the line. You can also help prevent unexpected breakdowns that can require new equipment, while leaving you at the mercy of winter’s worst.

Save here with a coupon.

Fall is the right time.

There is no better time to get a system check than fall. First of all, the relatively mild weather means that even if Betlem Residential finds a problem, you won’t shiver through brutal winter weather while repairs are made.

A fall system check also means Betlem Residential will be able to schedule you sooner rather than later, because he or she won’t be dealing with the emergency situations that can happen when furnaces break down during winter weather.

Contact Betlem Residential, preserve your system.

Getting a thorough system check is as simple as calling or emailing Betlem Residential. Even if you don’t have Lennox heating and cooling equipment, Betlem Residential dealer has the skill and expertise to perform a system check and keep you feeling consistently great, even in inconsistent weather.

Call Betlem Residential at 585-271-4328 or email us here.

Spend a day with the iComfort® S30 Smart Thermostat.

It’ll change the way you think about comfort.

If you think thermostats are only good for maintaining the comfort in your home, you’re about to get a whole new perspective. And, hopefully, a whole new thermostat. The iComfort® S30 Smart Thermostat from Lennox® does a lot more than change your temperature—it adapts to your life, perfectly. See for yourself with this typical day with the iComfort S30.

6:15 a.m.

Your alarm clock won’t go off for another 5 minutes, but your iComfort S30 has already started its day. It’s transitioning from your night schedule to your morning schedule, which means it’s going to bring the home up to your set temperature of 70 degrees after spending the night at a more energy-efficient 67 degrees.

6:30 a.m.

You come downstairs. It’s mid-March, so the temperature has been fluctuating a lot lately. Since you set the Perfect Temp feature on your iComfort S30, it’s going to automatically switch between heating and cooling to keep your home comfortable.

6:35 a.m.

You’re not sure what the weather is going to be like, so you check your iComfort S30. Its 7-day weather forecast tells you that today is going to be cold and clear, so you grab a coat.

7:40 a.m.

You leave for work. The iComfort S30 senses the house is empty, and adjusts your temperature to a far more energy efficient setting. After all, there’s no sense in heating and cooling a home if nobody is there to feel it.

 10 a.m.

The iComfort S30 updates its software automatically. You don’t notice. Because it’s one less thing you need to worry about.

3 p.m.

Your brother calls and says he needs to drop by your house to borrow a DVD, and he’ll just let himself in. Because you’re so polite, you take out your smartphone and turn up the temperature in your home remotely, so he’ll have a nice, warm environment while he’s there.

3:30 p.m.

By 3:30, he’s gone, so you return the temperature to its efficient setting.

4:45 p.m.

You left work a little early today. The iComfort S30 knows you are headed home, because its Smart Away feature works with your smartphone’s GPS. When it sees you’re five miles away, it starts warming up the house ahead of schedule, so you’re greeted by a comfortable living room.

5:30 p.m.

It’s cool outside, but since yesterday was warmer, there’s still some pollen in the air. Your iComfort S30 knows this, thanks to its Allergen Defender feature, so it turns up the airspeed on your furnace to move more air through your filtration system. So you breathe cleaner air, without having to do a thing.

8 p.m.

Your iComfort S30 notices that the compressor in your heat pump ran a few more minutes longer than it should have. While not a big deal, it still wants to protect your comfort, so it sends Betlem Residential an alert to check the system. Your dealer will call you tomorrow to schedule a quick look.

10 p.m.

You’re off to bed a little early. Even though your heating and cooling schedule isn’t supposed to go to its efficient night setting until 11, the iComfort S30 senses that there’s no more movement in the house, and starts to wind down system use. So you’re sleeping peacefully, and saving energy.

If you’d like an iComfort S30 Smart Thermostat that adapts to your life perfectly, talk to Betlem Residential. It’s a smart decision that you’ll be comfortable with for a very long time.

Or visit Betlem.com/to explore the features of the innovative iComfort S30.

Building your complete system: the smarter way to better comfort.

If you’re in the market for a new heating and air-conditioning system, there are a few things to consider when making your purchase. Because when you have all the facts, you’ll enjoy greater comfort, better energy savings and an overall more enjoyable indoor environment.

When replacing a piece of air-conditioning equipment, it’s always good to consider the advantages of installing a complete new system instead of just swapping out one component.  There are several important reasons for this.

When you replace an entire system at once, it will be comprised of components that have been designed to deliver the same level of efficiency.  So all parts of the system can work together to save you energy, and deliver the savings you’re expecting.

Pairing compatible equipment also means longer system life as well.   When one part of the system is older, it creates a bottleneck that can make every other component work harder to compensate.

SOURCE:http://www.ahrinet.org/App_Content/ahri/files/Homeowners/perfect%20match.pdf

Communicating about comfort and efficiency

Another reason to consider equipment from the same manufacturer has to do with the “communicating” capabilities built in to a lot of modern equipment.  Communicating systems connect furnaces, heat pumps, air conditioners and air handlers in the same system together via special electronics.  This allows each piece of equipment to optimize its performance based on what the other parts of the system are doing.

As an example, the iComfort WiFi communicating capabilities found in premium Lennox equipment lets multi-stage and variable capacity furnaces and air conditioners fine-tune their output and energy use to deliver consistent savings, and even monitor themselves to ensure proper operation.

Unfortunately, there is no universal communicating standard shared among manufacturers.  So mixing and matching your equipment may provide you with heating and cooling, but without the communicating ability, your system won’t operate at its most effective or efficient level.

Building the right system for your climate.

When it comes time to create your new system, the equipment you select will be determined largely by the climate where you live. Because while you can technically build a system any way you want it, you may end up spending more on things you don’t need.

Warmer climates: Consider a heat pump and air handler.

In southern states where there are more warm days than cold, and the temperature rarely approaches freezing, the ideal system is most likely one that includes a heat pump and an air handler.  That’s because even during cold weather, there is usually plenty of ambient heat in the air for a heat pump to draw into your house.

Heat Pump

A heat pump functions as both a heating and cooling unit.  While a furnace would work just fine in this part of the country, a heat pump that uses electricity will most likely be the most energy-efficient solution even during cold snaps.

Air Handler

To circulate the air throughout your home every day of the year, an air handler makes a smart choice.  Essentially a blower motor in a cabinet, an air handler can circulate warm air in the winter and cold air in the summer.  While a furnace can do the same thing, the burners aren’t needed in warmer climates.

Colder climates:  Consider an air conditioner and furnace.

In northern climates, winter temperatures can drop below freezing fairly frequently.  This doesn’t leave much ambient heat in the air, making a heat pump a less-effective choice for warmth.  A gas or oil furnace is a much smarter choice, because it can convert fuel into warmth regardless of outside temperatures.

Moderate climates: Consider a dual-fuel system.

In moderate climates, temperatures can be warm in the summer, cool in the fall and cold in the winter.  And while the temperatures may not drop quite as low as they do in cold climates, they can still get low enough to make a heat pump ineffective.

For these climates that can experience everything from moderate to severe temperatures, a dual-fuel system is the most energy-efficient solution to choose.  In a dual-fuel system, a heat pump and a furnace are paired together to work for maximum efficiency.

Different temperatures, different functions

During summer, the heat pump functions as an air conditioner to keep your home cool.  When weather starts to get cold, the heat pump will switch to heating mode to provide warmth.  But if the temperature drops so low that the heat pump cannot get enough heat to keep your home comfortable, the system will automatically turn the heat pump off and switch to the gas furnace for heat.

When your Lennox® dealer installs your dual-fuel system, they will set the point at which the heat pump hands off to the furnace based on how much electricity and gas are in your area.  So regardless of what the temperature does, you’ll always stay comfortable in the most energy-efficient way possible.

To get the system that’s right for your home and your climate, have a conversation with Betlem Residential - call 585-271-4328.

(1) Efficiency claim based on comparison of air conditioning and heat pump products’ SEER as published in AHRI (January 2015). Actual system combination efficient may vary; consult a Lennox Dealer or AHRI for exact system efficiencies. Precision claim based on the cooling capacity range of the XC/XP25-036 units as compared to equivalent-sized competitive variable capacity compressor units.

Saving Energy: Understanding Energy Ratings

Understanding energy ratings

If you’ve ever shopped for a new air conditioner, furnace, or even a window unit, you’ve probably seen energy rating data listed somewhere on the product. Knowing what those numbers mean, and how to compare them, can save you a lot of money over the life of your equipment.

Making sense of the numbers

Ratings help you make smart choices 

Energy ratings were established to provide a baseline for comparing heating and air conditioning equipment based on the energy it uses to keep you comfortable. In a sense, you can think of energy ratings like miles-per-gallon in a car.

The more gasoline it takes you to go one mile, the more you’ll spend for every mile you need to travel. So if you’re looking at a large SUV that gets 15 miles per gallon, you know you’ll need to plan a larger fuel budget every month than if you’d chosen a subcompact or hybrid car that gets 38 miles to the gallon.

What the ratings mean for your home

With home heating and cooling equipment, the efficiency numbers tell you how much energy you’ll have to spend to get the same performance out of similar products.

Ratings are different for each type of heating and cooling equipment, simply because of the energy source used to power it. In other words, you can’t use the same rating to compare a gas furnace to an electric heat pump, because they don’t use the same type of fuel.

However, when you understand the numbers behind the ratings, you can get a good idea of how much money you’ll spend to run your equipment, whether it uses gas, electricity, or both.

SEER, for rating electric cooling

SEER is one of the most common rating systems for home cooling equipment. It stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, and it gives a pretty good indication of your energy costs because it measures performance over an entire cooling season.

To calculate SEER, you simply take the total cooling output that the equipment will generate over the summer, measured in British Thermal Units (BTU), and divide it by the total amount of energy you’ll have to expend (and pay for) during the same time period.

What you’re really measuring here is how much cooling power the unit will provide, and how much it will cost you to enjoy that cool comfort. The Lennox® XC25 is currently the most precise and efficient air conditioner you can buy*, offering a SEER of up to 26.

Federal law currently mandates a minimum SEER of between 13 and 14, depending upon where in the country you live, and any air conditioner over 14.5 SEER can be eligible for ENERGY STAR® qualification, meaning it’s a smart choice for energy-efficient cooling.

AFUE, for rating fossil-fuel furnaces

AFUE is a different way to measure efficiency, because it deals with a different type of fuel. The AFUE of a furnace, which stands for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency, is a measure of how much heat is generated over the course of the heating season, compared with how much fuel is burned.

AFUE is a fairly straightforward number. The higher the number, the more heat you will actually feel for a given amount of natural gas or oil burned. A furnace with an AFUE of 80 will turn 80% of its fuel into useable heat, while wasting about 20% of its fuel through either air leaks, inefficient burners or a less-advanced design.

On the other hand, a furnace with an AFUE of 95 will convert 95% of the gas or oil it consumes into useable warmth. Any furnace with an efficiency of 90% or higher is considered high-efficiency.

The Lennox SLP98V furnace currently offers an AFUE of 98.7, meaning it converts 98.7% of its fuel into useful heat for your home. With less than 2% fuel waste, it’s a very efficient way to weather the winter.

*The most precise and efficient air conditioner and heat pump you can buy (XC25/XP25)
Efficiency claim based on comparison of air conditioning and heat pump products’ SEER as published in AHRI (January 2013). Actual system combination efficientcy may vary; consult a Lennox Dealer or AHRI for exact system efficiencies. Precision claim based on the cooling capacity range of the XC/XP25-036 units as compared to equivalent-sized competitive variable capacity compressor units.

HSPF, for rating electric heating and cooling

In the simplest terms, an electric heat pump is an air conditioner that can run in reverse. During the summer, it moves heat out of your home into the atmosphere. Then, during colder weather, it reverses the process and draws latent heat from the outside air into your home.

Since it doesn’t use fossil fuel, AFUE really doesn’t apply. So heat pumps actually have their own comparative efficiency rating, known as HSPF, or Heating Season Performance Factor. This is a measure of how efficiently an electric heat pump can warm your home when it’s in heating mode, over the course of an entire heating season.

HSPF is calculated by dividing the unit’s heat output over the course of the season by the amount of electricity required to produce that heat. Anything over 8 is considered high-efficiency, and may be eligible for utility rebates or tax credits.

When shopping for a heat pump, it’s important to remember that since it uses electricity to heat and cool, it will have both a SEER and an HSPF rating since it runs during multiple seasons.

The Lennox XP25 heat pump currently offers a SEER of up to 23.5, and an HSPF of up to 10.20.

Single-room vs. whole-home air cleaners: Why it matters.

In the quest for cleaner, fresher air, two main types of air cleaners have become popular: single-room and whole-home.

How they work

Single-room air cleaners cover small areas

Single-room air cleaners are just like their name implies.  They’re small, portable, localized devices that are placed in individual rooms or areas to clean the air.  They usually incorporate a fan to move air, some kind of filter to remove particles, and often an electronic component that electronically charges the air to increase filtration.

Whole-home air cleaners are a more complete solution.

Whole-home air cleaners, on the other hand, are more of an “installed” solution, permanently integrated into the heating and air conditioning system in your home.  They rely on your furnace or air handler to move air through, instead of using their own fan.

Advantages of whole-home air cleaners

Whole-home air cleaners offer a serious advantage over single-room air cleaners because they affect all the air in your home.  Attaching an air-cleaning solution to your heating and cooling system will allow it to filter every bit of air in every room.

Disadvantages of portable air cleaners

A single-area air cleaner may solve air quality issues in one room, but your home heating and air-conditioning system is still going to be circulating air from that room throughout your home. So whatever air issue you’re facing in that one area will eventually spread to every other room.

Whole-home options

If you’re going with an installed, whole-home air cleaner, you have several options.

• Disposable filters: Most furnaces accept a 1” or 5” pleated or fiberglass filter that is thrown away when it becomes dirty.
• Washable filters: Usually made of foam or plastic fibers, these filters are washed when they become full of impurities.
• Electrostatic filters: Remove impurities from the air by putting an electric charge on them as they pass through the air cleaner, causing dirt and dust to stick to a collection area for later vacuuming or washing.
• UV lights: As air passes through your air cleaner, ultraviolet lights kill germs and bacteria so they can’t make you sick.

The only whole-home solution to everything.

A whole-home air cleaner makes sense.  And no whole-home air cleaner is more effective than the PureAir™ air purification system made by Lennox.  In fact, PureAir cleans the air in your home better than any single solution you can buy, using three different types of technology.  And it generates no ozone.

• Filtration:  A CarbonClean 16 filter removes up to 95% of particles ranging in size down to 0.3 micron*, while its carbon component captures any latent ozone in your home.
• UV lighting:  Removes OVER 90% of bacteria, fungi and germs ranging in size down to 0.01 micron*
• Catalyst plate: Removes and destroys approximately 50% of household odors and chemical vapors in a 24-hour period**

New for 2015

PureAir was already the leading whole-home filtration solution, but for 2015, Lennox has added three new advantages.

• Better filtration: Carbon Clean 16 filtration is now standard.
• Tighter cabinet seals: With virtually no air leakage
• More energy efficient:  The new PureAir uses less electricity than ever.

Get your air quality consultation today

Betlem Residential of Rochester, NY can tell you more about the quality of the air in your home, and help you deal with the specific problems you face.  Call 585-271-4328 today to schedule your consultation. 

The Lennox National Promotion puts impeccable indoor comfort well within reach.

As the weather gets hotter and hotter, Lennox is ready to help. Lennox is offering rebates of up to $1,700 on a qualifying Lennox® home comfort system* now through June 12, 2015.

It’s a sweet deal for every homeowner, because the Lennox National Promotion means savings on extremely capable, full-featured systems that can lower energy use while still delivering custom-tailored comfort to any home.

The Equipment

This year’s Lennox Spring Promotion features some pretty impressive performers.

• The SLP98V Furnace, the quietest high-efficiency furnace you can buy(1).  Because it can adjust its flame to more than 60 different intensities, the SLP98V can perfectly balance heating demand with fuel use.
• The XC25 Air Conditioner or XP25 Heat Pump, the most precise and efficient air conditioner and heat pump you can buy(2).  Built with compressors that can adjust their speed like a dimmer switch, the XC25 and XP25 can find the perfect combination of comfort and smart energy use for even the hottest days.
• The iComfort Wi-Fi® Thermostat, lets you monitor and adjust your home temperature from anywhere.  A bright, high-definition color touchscreen thermostat that offers cloud connectivity, smart scheduling, an energy-saving One Touch Away Mode, live weather forecasts, automatic updates and more.
• The PureAir™ Air Purification System, cleans the air in your home better than any single system you can buy.
• iHarmony® Zoning, a major advance in precision climate control that directs heating and cooling to specific areas in your home, to allow more even, steady temperatures from room to room and floor to floor.

The Deals

• Get up to $1300 in rebates when purchasing a complete qualifying Lennox® home comfort system that includes gas furnace or blower coil, air conditioner or heat pump and thermostat, for example The XC25 air conditioner or XP25 heat pump, the SLP98V furnace, the iComfort Wi-Fi® thermostat and the PureAir™ Air Purification System.
• Save up to $300 in rebates when you buy four or more solar panels for use with the SunSource Home Energy System.
• Save up to $100 in rebates on the addition of a iHarmony Zoning system.

To take advantage of the innovation, and the savings, simply contact Betlem Residential. 

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(1)Based on sound pressure levels during steady-state, high-fire and low-fire operation of Lennox SLP98UH070XV36B and leading competitive units as of July 2013 at mid-point temperature rise and minimum external static pressure when set upper Section 4.4.4 of AHRI 260-2012. Based on AFUE efficiency rating of Lennox SLP98UH090XV60C and leading competitive units listed in AHRI directory as of January 2015. Efficiency ratings established per test standard ANSI/ASHRAE 103-2007.

(2)  Efficiency claim based on comparison of air conditioning and heat pump products’ SEER as published in AHRI (January 2013). Actual system combination efficient may vary; consult a Lennox Dealer or AHRI for exact system efficiencies. Precision claim based on the cooling capacity range of the XC/XP25-036 units as compared to equivalent-sized competitive variable capacity compressor units.

*Some restrictions apply. System rebate offers range from $200-$1,700. Rebate offer is valid March 23, 2015 through June 12, 2015 with the purchase of qualifying Lennox products. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Additional add-on rebates for iHarmony® Zoning System and solar panels valid with a qualifying system purchase only. See your participating Lennox dealer for complete details.