Should I Invest in a Hybrid Heating System for My Home?

Are you looking for an energy-efficient heating source for your Woodbridge, Virginia, home? If so, consider installing a hybrid heating system. While a traditional heat pump generally supplies enough warm air for mild climates, it may not be sufficient if the temperature drops too low. Instead of adding a separate furnace to your system for supplemental heat, have a hybrid heating system installed. Read on to learn how it works and several of the benefits you’ll enjoy with this efficient and more environmentally sound heating option.

What is a Hybrid Heating System?

One of the reasons heat pumps are so energy efficient is that they don’t generate heat. Instead, they extract and transfer warm outdoor air to the inside of your home. As a result, they require less electricity than a system that creates heat.

While this works well when the outdoor temperature has enough heat in it to extract, when the temperature plummets, you need another source of heat to keep you and your family comfortable. With the packaged Hybrid Heat System, when the set temperature goes below the capability of the electric heat pump to warm your home,the gas furnace turns on to supply the heat. The system is programmable, so you can set the temperature variances where you want.

High SEER Rating

The heat pump in the hybrid heating system works as an air conditioner during the summer. Therefore, it’s essential that you have one that runs efficiently to keep the cost of your energy bills low. The heat pump in the packaged hybrid heating system has a very high SEER rating. As a result, it’ll help you save money and energy.

What’s a SEER rating? It stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. It measures the cooling efficiency of an air conditioner or heat pump. It’s calculated by taking the cooling output for the entire cooling season and dividing that number by the electrical energy input for the same time frame. The higher the number of the SEER rating, the more efficient the unit. Our hybrid heating system has a SEER rating of up to 14, which is high on the energy-efficiency scale.

High AFUE and HSPF Rating

The hybrid heating system uses a gas furnace for supplemental heat when the nights get too cold for the heat pump to supply enough warmth. As you want a heat pump with a high SEER rating for the cooling season, you also want a high energy efficiency rating for your furnace during the heating season.

An AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) rating measures the efficiency of the furnace’s ability to convert fuel to energy. The higher the number of the rating, the more efficient the furnace. The furnace in our hybrid heating system measures at a whopping 81 percent, which means it is burning fuel very efficiently.

The HSPF (Heating Season Performance Factor) measures the energy efficiency of the heat pump, which runs on electricity. Similar to the SEER rating for the cooling season, the HSPF is measured for the whole heating season. Again, the higher the number, the better it is at energy conservation. Our heat pumps run at 8.0. As a result, they’ll help to save you money on energy bills.

More Great Benefits

Due to the multi-speed blower fan, the hybrid heating system runs at a much quieter level ⁠— a comfortable 73 decibels ⁠— than a traditional HVAC system when in the cooling mode. Also, the system uses a new form of refrigerant during the cooling phase that’s not ozone-depleting and better for the environment.

As with any heating and cooling system in your home, schedule regular maintenance so that it’ll run in top condition year after year. Investing in a maintenance plan with us will help to ensure that your hybrid heating system is maintained regularly and in a timely manner.

Are you ready to switch to a new and modern hybrid heating system for your home? Call our expert team at Brennan’s Heating & Air Conditioning today. You can schedule an appointment with us at 703-783-0145.

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