Central Heat Pump Systems | Electric Home Heating & Cooling
Central Air Heat Pump Systems - Cold-Climate Air Source Heat Pumps for Homes in Canada
EVERY central heat pump purchased through BPH Sales includes a matching coil! This ensures that your heating system is paired with optimally sized components, making your life easier and helping to secure the highest home comfort and efficiency from your HVAC system. Less work and more home comfort for you!
Heat pumps are an energy-efficient alternative to a gas furnace and central heat pumps offer significant advantages and cost savings when heating and cooling your home. Ideal for milder climates, central heat pumps give you the ability to controls your home’s comfort while consuming less energy. For those who live in colder regions, a central heat pump can be paired with your existing furnace system to reduce energy consumption and costs in a hybrid heating configuration.
Looking to offset your gas consumption and upgrade to a more modern HVAC system? Building an off-grid home without a gas supply but want the benefits and comforts of a forced air heating system? Or, are you just looking to move to a more environmentally friendly heating and cooling system? No matter your reasons for considering a new central heat pump system, BPH Sales has what you need!
What is a central heat pump?
A central heat pump is an energy efficient heating and cooling system that pulls energy from one location and moves it to another. The energy is transferred into and out of your home via an evaporator coil located inside your homes ducting system.
Central heat pumps are often also referred to as (but not necessarily completely correctly) central HVAC heat pumps, ducted heat pumps, centrally ducted heat pumps, whole house heat pumps, or air source heat pumps.
Are heat pump systems energy efficient?
Yes, definitely! Central heat pump systems almost always operate at over 100% efficiency, meaning that you spend less money on utility bills. The high efficiency is the result of the design and way heat pumps operate.
Heat pumps are so effective that the Government of Canada, under the National Research Council, are investing heavily into the HVAC industry to develop heat pump technologies that can deliver heating even during the coldest Canadian winter. This is an ongoing effort by many leading brands, including Mitsubishi, Napoleon, Samsung, Daikin, and a few others.
Can I use a heat pump in the winter?
Definitely, that is the wonder of a heat pump – heating in the winter, cooling in the summer. However, keep in mind that EVEN THE MOST ADVANCED heat pumps on the market are rated to operate until -30 ᵒC, while providing 100% of the rated heating capacity at temperatures as low as -20 ᵒC. So, if you live somewhere where temperatures regularly drop below -20 ᵒC in the winter months, we recommend that you strongly consider a supplemental or back-up heating source for those frigid days.
What is a cold climate heat pump?
Also known as Cold Climate Air Source Heat Pumps (ccASHP), cold climate heat pumps are heat pumps specifically designed to operate in environments where the outdoor temperature regularly drops well below freezing. As such, a key figure to watch for with cold climate heat pumps is their lower operating temperature, which can vary from brand to brand and model to model. The best performing cold climate heat pumps at this time operate in temperatures as low as -30 ᵒC.
How does a central heat pump work?
When heating your home, the heat pump system will pull heat energy from the outside air and transfer that heat into your home. Conversely, when cooling your home the system will remove heat from inside your home and move it to the outside.
Central heat pumps circulate hot or cool air throughout your whole house using your homes ducting system. This is why central heat pumps are often also referred to as (centrally) ducted heat pumps, whole house heat pumps, whole home heat pumps, or central heating heat pumps.
What are the parts of a central heat pump system?
A complete central heating heat pump system consists of a couple of main components:
- inverter compressor located outdoors (the “outdoor unit”)
- evaporator coil located inside your ducting or AHU
- copper line set consisting of 2x separate lines
- an air handler (AHU) or furnace with a blower to circulate air through the duct system
- your homes duct system
- a compatible thermostat inside your home to measure the temperature and demand heating/cooling functionality
Of course, if you want to have a hybrid heating system using, for example, a hydronic AHU with back-up heating provided by a geothermal system or combi-boiler, it becomes a bit more involved, but the overall concept is the exact same.
What is a heat pump hybrid heating system?
A hybrid heating system is a system that will use a heat pump for heating and cooling for part of the time, and will use another source for heating your home at other times. Typically, you will have one controller for the whole system that will automatically switch from one heating source to another as required or when cost-effective to do so.
What types of hybrid heating combinations are possible?
The most typical combinations we see for hybrid heating include:
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Gas furnace with a heat pump:
- the security and stability of a traditional forced air furnace with the benefits and efficiencies of a modern heat pump system for most of your heating and cooling needs
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Hydronic furnace with a heat pump:
- great if you have an existing (combi-)boiler system, or if you want to connect to geothermal or solar hot water source
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Electric furnace with a heat pump:
- great option if you want the benefits and security of a back-up heating source without the implications of having a gas supply
What sizes central heat pumps are available?
Our lineup of Napoleon central heat pumps are available in sizes from 2 tons up to 5 tons, and we are able to supply all line sets and coils that meet this sizing.
Additionally, our team will gladly work with you to either source an appropriately sized AHU or confirm your existing system is sufficient.
Where are central heat pumps available?
Central heat pump systems are available across Canada!
How much will a central heat pump system cost?
This is tough to answer, as it is very dependent on your situation. If you have an existing furnace that can be used as an AHU in a hybrid heating configuration, your costs will be significantly lower.
If you need to purchase the entire system, and install a central ducting system, your costs do go up quite a bit, but most those costs are also present when you want to install a furnace.
In short, central heat pumps are not the most affordable option right now, but with the grants from both the federal government and provincial governments, they do become a reasonable upgrade for most homeowners to consider!
I have a central air conditioning system; can I upgrade to a central heat pump?
Almost definitely! Central heat pumps operate very similar to central air conditioners, so it should be a quite easy upgrade to make.
I have an old forced air furnace right now; can I install a heat pump with it?
The answer is almost a definitive YES! Central heat pumps are compatible with almost every forced air furnace commercially available – gas furnaces, hydronic furnaces, electric furnaces, and more.