Do You Need a Furnace With a Heat Pump in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Florida?

Although heat pumps have grown in popularity among property owners, people still debate their effectiveness in heating a building. Do you need a furnace with a heat pump? Can it manage by itself during a Florida winter?

Cool By Design specializes in heat pump and furnace installation in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, FL. Read on for ways to tell whether your heat pump needs a furnace friend in Florida. 

How Does Your Heat Pump Work?

Heat pumps heat or cool properties, depending on the direction you make them work. Whether they’re ground-source, air-source, or water-source pumps, their winter function removes heat from the source (e.g., the air) during the heating cycle and transfers it into your living spaces. In summer, the pump runs cooling cycles that do the opposite, extracting the heat from indoors and taking it out.

Unsurprisingly, heat pumps have spiked in popularity because of their energy efficiency. If you’re looking to decrease your carbon footprint or maintain a single system instead of two, heat pumps are a great option – but do you need a furnace with a heat pump to stay cozy in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea?

Does Your Property in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Florida, Need a Heat Pump?

Do you need a furnace with a heat pump? Generally, heat pumps have no trouble cooling buildings, but they might struggle to heat quickly when temperatures plummet toward freezing. They heat slowly, but that slow-and-steady approach is still effective in milder climates like Florida. 

However, in colder places, many property owners will choose to install dual heating systems – a furnace with a heat pump – to keep their homes or businesses warm during frigid days and nights. Here are some factors to consider regarding dual systems.

Local Climate

Modern heat pumps manage a broader temperature range than previous models. They leave a little to be desired as far as cold climate performance goes, but in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Florida, you probably don’t need a backup furnace to beef up your heat pump’s cycles. This area’s average temperature rarely falls below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Backup Heating

Furnaces could serve as a backup heating method in case a heat pump fails or as an additional heat source for large buildings. Do you need a furnace with a heat pump for any other reason? Another benefit is that while heat pumps last up to 15 years, furnaces can last five to 10 beyond that, especially if you’re not using the backup furnace as often and can stave off replacement for a while.

Using Both Year Round

Since heat pump technology can manage heating and cooling, property owners in southern regions like Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Florida, may depend on their pumps solely. Even if they have a furnace and it fails during a cold snap, they can simply flip the heat pump back on to heating and stay warm until HVAC technicians solve any furnace problems. It works both ways.

Who Might Install a Backup Furnace With Their Heat Pump?

Essentially, a heat pump alone should perform perfectly to meet your seasonal heating needs in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Florida. However, if that’s the case, why might you consider installing a furnace as a backup plan?

• You have a big building. Larger properties often need more than one system to warm up properly. A furnace plus a heat pump can provide fast, sustained heat. 
• You want peace of mind. What if your power goes out from a powerful storm? A gas furnace may still work despite an electricity outage. 
• You want to make your property more energy-efficient for cost-effective heating. Want to cut your utility bills or create a home or business that’s more eco-friendly? Rely on your heat pump for the most part. Just click on the furnace when you need to take the edge off of a colder winter’s day.

Factors That Affect Your Heat Pump Installation Service

Still asking, “Do you need a furnace with a heat pump?” An HVAC technician can help you weigh the following factors:

• Cost: What is your installation budget? Heat pump installation costs more than furnace installation, and a combination is more. 
• Hookups: If you only have electric hookups, you might not benefit from a backup furnace. 
• Age of heating system: Use your current heating system until it needs replacing.