My local area is known for especially long and brutal winter weather.
The temperature often remains below freezing for months at a time and regularly drops into the negative digits.
We expect upwards of five to six feet of snow every year, blizzard conditions and dangerous wind chill. Heating is a big priority and can add up to a major expense. While the summers are typically quite short, the heat and humidity can be a problem. The fall and spring tend to be chilly, wet and windy. When we first moved into our house, it was only equipped with a furnace. The furnace did a good job of keeping the living environment warm throughout the winter. However, the cost of running it made me reluctant to start it up too early in the year. And I was always eager to shut it down at the first sign of spring. For a couple of years, we got by with window air conditioners and box fans throughout the summer. I finally decided to look into central air conditioning. I came across the better option of an electric heat pump. Although a heat pump is a bigger initial expense, it quickly pays for itself through high-efficiency heating. During the summer, the system performs just like an air conditioner. It easily keeps the house perfectly cool on those hot and humid days. As soon as the weather turns chilly in the fall, I switch the heat pump to heating mode. It reverses the flow of refrigerant, finds ambient heat in the outdoor air and delivers it inside. The process avoids the burning of fossil fuels, making it wonderfully safe, clean and environmentally friendly. The heat pump costs a lot less to run than the furnace. Once the outdoor temperature drops below freezing, the heat pump struggles to keep up. At that point, the furnace takes over.