One Redditor who lives in Portland, Oregon, noticed a trend among HVAC techs of not encouraging heat pumps for homeowners. Concerned, the Redditor noted this behavior in the r/heatpumps subreddit dedicated to honest questions and answers on heat pumps.
"I have been calling around for quotes and estimates on converting our gas furnace to a heat pump system, and I'd say more than half of the HVAC folks I talk to discourage heat pumps," the OP wrote to the community. "Can anyone shed some light on this for me?"
Heat pumps are cost-effective alternatives to more traditional temperature control methods. They can heat and cool the home by moving heat around in an energy-efficient manner, using less energy to change the temperature.
Their growing popularity is due to low energy bills and efficiency. However, latent benefits such as reducing pollution are becoming noticeable, with the appliance able to reduce electricity usage for heating by up to 75%, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
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Currently, switching to a heat pump can also save homeowners up to $2,000 in a tax credit, thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act. However, taking advantage of the tax credit sooner rather than later could be wise, as President Donald Trump has noted that he wants to eliminate IRA subsidies, though that would require approval from Congress.
EnergySage's Heat Pump Marketplace can be a useful tool for anyone looking to explore options in their local area.
Redditors in the community have theories as to why HVAC techs might not be as thrilled about heat pumps.
"Yes, this is a huge problem," one commented. "Many of the HVAC folks … don't want to deal with this new-fangled stuff. … They need to unlearn old habits and accept that good modern heat pumps are good for heating."
Others suggest the reasoning behind the hesitancy is because they do not require as much maintenance causing HVAC techs to "lose out on service calls." Additionally, they are perceived by HVAC techs to be "more complicated than traditional single-stage AC systems and gas heaters," as the commenter suggested.
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Which of these factors would most effectively motivate you to buy a heat pump? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Lower energy bills 💰 As always, some Redditors in the community offered some tips for how to bypass hesitant HVAC techs:
"If you look at the top tab of the sub you should see 'find an installer' and you should be able to find someone that installs one of the brand-specific search links. I would always try to seek out someone that only is dedicated to heat pumps now," they wrote, referring to the helpful community bookmarks in the community that leads to heat pump installers.
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