Efficiency Not A Problem With Dual-Fuel Systems

High-efficiency heating and cooling systems are designed to use fuel efficiently and get you good results on your energy bills; however, the cost of fuel in your area might make using electricity or gas, for example, more costly. Dual-fuel systems help to maximize energy efficiency by choosing the heating or cooling source that will use fuel most economically, depending on the weather conditions.

A dual-fuel system is comprised of two heating systems: for example, a heat pump and a gas furnace. In the winter, the heat pump extracts heat from the outdoor air and transfers it to the inside of your home. This is what makes heat pumps so efficient: instead of generating heat from its energy source, it moves heat around. As a result, heat pumps are about four times more efficient than other fuel sources.

During mild Florida winters, heat pumps are ideal to use, because, even though the air outside may feel cool, there is heat within that air that the pump will extract for indoor use. When the temperature drops below a certain set point where the heat pump will no longer heat efficiently, the furnace comes on to provide heated air.

Heat pumps efficiently heat and cool air, so this system also acts as the air conditioner, giving you two systems in one with the option of using the furnace for unusually cold days — without taxing your energy bills.

The dual-fuel heat pump system works with fuel costs, because you can choose when to use each system. The heat pump has a balance point that tells the system when to switch over to the secondary heating source. This is like a gauge that informs the heat pump’s command controls of certain temperatures to use the heat pump and temperatures to use the gas furnace. If fuel costs go up in your area, you can change the balance point setting to adjust to get better efficiency from each system.

Dual-fuel systems give you the best of both worlds, using two sources to efficiently heat and cool your home. Contact the experts at Rinaldi’s for an in-home estimate.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information, click here to download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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