If you’re looking for a new heating solution for your Eugene, OR, home, you’re probably considering a heat pump. They’re an efficient and eco-friendly way to heat your home. Plus, they double as a cooling solution in the warmer months. However, heat pumps have a reputation for poor performance in cold weather, which may give you pause. To help alleviate that, here’s everything you need to know about how heat pumps work in the Oregon cold.
Why Do Heat Pumps Have a Poor Cold-Weather Reputation?
Heat pumps aren’t a new technology. The first air-source heat pump made its debut way back in 1856. Since then, the technology has undergone significant advancements. By the 1970s, it was sufficiently advanced to make heat pumps a realistic residential HVAC option in the southern US. It is that generation of heat pumps that developed a reputation for poor performance in cold weather.
To understand why older heat pumps struggled in cold weather, you need to know how these systems work. A heat pump operates like a conventional air conditioner, except in reverse. Instead of collecting heat inside your home and carrying it outside, it does the opposite. It gathers heat energy present in the outdoor air and uses it to warm the inside of your home.
That basic operational description may have given you a clue as to the source of heat pumps’ problem with the cold. Put simply, the colder it gets outside, the harder it is for the heat pump to collect needed heat energy. As a result, a heat pump may not generate sufficient heat in freezing weather. To compensate, heat pumps have a backup heat source they can activate when necessary. The problem is that the backup consists of electric resistance heat strips, which are costly to operate.
Today’s Heat Pumps and Cold Weather
It’s essential to recognize that the heat pump cold-weather issue was a consequence of technological limitations. That is to say, there’s plenty of heat energy available in the outdoor winter air, even at sub-zero temperatures. The problem is that the heat exchangers, refrigerants, and compressors available in the 1970s and 1980s weren’t efficient enough to capture it. Today, that’s no longer true.
Modern cold-climate heat pumps employ advanced technologies to optimize their performance in cold weather conditions. Together, those technologies not only ensure ample heat production but also aid efficiency. As a result, today’s cold-climate heat pumps continue providing ample heat down to as low as -22 degrees Fahrenheit. Some of the features you’ll find in cold-climate heat pumps include the following:
Inverters and Variable Speed Compressors
One of the ways cold-climate heat pumps extract more heat energy from colder air is by modulating their operating speeds. To do it, they rely on variable-speed compressors and inverter-driven power supplies. Together, those adjust refrigerant compression to match heat output needs. Many cold-weather heat pumps also feature variable-speed blower motors, which further improve performance.
Flash Vapor Injection
Another key technology found in cold-climate heat pumps is flash vapor injection. It extracts more heat energy from the system’s refrigerant by collecting still-warm vapor returning from the system’s indoor unit. That vapor then passes directly into the compressor along with the warm vapor coming from the system’s outdoor unit. That provides much of the added heating boost that cold-climate heat pumps deliver at low temperatures.
Next Generation Refrigerants
Much of a heat pump’s ability to collect heat hinges on the operating temperatures of its refrigerant. Without getting too technical, a refrigerant that achieves lower temperatures and boiling points in its liquid state works more effectively in cold conditions. The reason is due to the operating principles of a heat pump. They rely on the fact that heat energy spontaneously moves from warmer substances to colder ones. And the wider the difference between the cold outdoor air temperature and the colder refrigerant temperature, the better it works.
Larger Outdoor Coils
A heat pump uses its outdoor coil as its means of heat absorption in heating mode. It does so by cycling liquid refrigerant through the coil while a large fan pushes outdoor air through the coil’s fins. The more air comes into contact with those fins, the greater the chance there is for the refrigerant to absorb heat. That’s why cold-climate heat pumps feature larger outdoor coils than ordinary heat pumps.
Cold-Climate Heat Pump Performance in Oregon
Now that you know how cold-climate heat pumps work, you probably want to know if they’re a good fit for Oregon homes. The answer is a resounding yes! According to recent testing, most cold-climate heat pumps now operate at efficiencies above 200% even at temperatures as low as 5 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s far below the average winter temperatures here in Eugene. Many cold-climate heat pumps maintain their efficiency even well below that temperature. Recent heat pumps from Mitsubishi Electric and Toshiba operated at 200% efficiency down to approximately -22 degrees Fahrenheit. For reference, that’s well below the coldest temperature ever recorded in Eugene, which is -12 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you compare that to the efficiency delivered by gas furnaces, the advantages of a heat pump become clear. A standard gas furnace has a minimum efficiency of approximately 81%. That’s less than half as efficient as a gas furnace, even on the coldest day imaginable. Even the most efficient furnace available doesn’t compare to a heat pump. Currently, the highest efficiency furnace available has an efficiency of approximately 98.7%. Even when you account for the relatively lower price of natural gas relative to electricity, heat pumps still come out on top.
It’s also worth noting that heat pumps are eligible for generous subsidies and tax credits. At the state level, you can claim a rebate worth $2,000 on a new heat pump through the Oregon Heat Pump Purchase Program. There’s also a Federal tax credit worth up to 30% of the cost of a heat pump installation, with a maximum credit of $2,000. However, to take advantage of it, you must act quickly. The program, which was initially to end in 2032, will now end on December 31, 2025.
Local Efficient Heating Experts
Whether you ultimately decide to buy a heat pump or a furnace, Reynolds Electric, Plumbing, Heating and Air is the place to turn in Eugene. We sell and install both, with models available from today’s leading manufacturers. Our HVAC experts can evaluate your home to help you determine which heating solution is the most suitable. They have a deep understanding of the latest heat pump technology and can answer any remaining questions you may have. If necessary, we can equip your home with a dual-fuel heat pump that utilizes a gas furnace as a backup heat source. We also offer financing options on approved credit to help you afford the heating system you choose.
Furthermore, here at Reynolds Electric, Plumbing, Heating and Air, we’ve been serving local homeowners since 1960. You won’t find a local HVAC company with a better reputation than ours. We’ve remained a Nextdoor Neighborhood Fave for multiple years running. We’re also Better Business Bureau accredited with an A+ rating. So, when you need a new heating system installed in your Eugene home, call Reynolds Electric, Plumbing, Heating and Air!
