The Disadvantages a of an Electric Heat Pump

Heat pumps are a kind of heating system that can be installed in a home.  Two types of heat pumps are available for homeowners, one being air source and the other being ground source.  Air source heat pumps use coils to heat and cool a home and ground source heat pumps use underground circulation systems to heat and cool homes.

• Heat pumps use a lot of energy when the temperatures are most extreme.  This causes heat pumps to be a comparatively inefficient form of heating and cooling.  For example, when it is hot outside, the coils of an air source heat pump get hot also, and so the coils must pump more air to cool the home.  This can cause a substantial increase in energy use.


• Air source heat pumps don't always work well in extremely cold temperatures.  In order for an air source heat pump to work effectively in cold temperatures, the coils must remain ice free.  When the temperature is very low, it is extremely difficult to keep the coils from freezing up.  Some homeowners have heat pumps with larger coils to combat this problem, while others rely on back up furnaces to keep their homes the optimal temperature throughout the winter.


• Ground source heat pumps are expensive to install.  Because ground source heat pumps require much excavation to create the ductwork under the ground, these are typically much more expensive to install.  The positive to having a ground source heat pump is the ground remains roughly the same temperature throughout the year.  As a result, it doesn't require much energy to heat or cool a home with a ground source heat pump.