You're reading this article for advice. You are one of the hundreds of thousands of American's every year who has finally got to make the decision to replace the heat pump or gas furnace. This is a big decision. The cost of a new heat pump will start somewhere around $5,000 and go up from there depending on size and add-ons. You want to make sure that you get the most you can for your hard earned dollar so do some homework before you buy.

The first thing you're going to feel when you install a new heat pump system is that heated air is warmer and air conditioned air is cooler than it was from your old unit. Even a unit that's just ten years old can be replaced with a better unit. The best part is that along with having warmer and cooler air you'll have a saving of about 40% over your old unit.

Before you spend your money and choose a system you'll want to educate yourself about ratings. You'll be introduced to SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio). Pay attention to it. The higher the SEER rating the more efficient the unit will be. Unfortunately increased SEER ratings go hand in hand with an overall increased price for the unit. One thing you'll need to consider is how long you plan to live in your present home. YOu'll want to balance out savings vs. cost. The longer you plan to live in your home the longer you'll have to recoup the savings in your electric bills.

Talk to professional installers before you choose a system so that you can get several estimates to choose from. Some of the most trusted heat pump manufacturers and installers are Lennox, American Standard, Trane, AirPro, Bryant, Thermal Zone, Guardian, Goodman, Grandaire and Carrier. It's always a good idea to talk with family and friends to see who they may have used to update their heating system and what type of experience they've had.Visit one of the many online sites where you can learn about SEER ratings and EnergyStar ratings. Visit Consumer Guide and the EPA site or the American Council for Energy Efficient Economy.

There are also some simple steps and fixes that you can make around your home to make it more energy efficient. How is the insulation in your home? Your attic and basement should be adequately insulated, it's easy to add. Check the weather stripping around all of your doors. If you can see daylight between your door and the frame you're loosing money. Caulk around windows. Add a ceiling fan. A ceiling fan moves air and helps year round. In the summer months it cools a room by pulling warm air up, and in winter it forces heat down into a room. A humidifier that adds a bit of moisture to your air will help your home feel warmer in the winter. Also, it's likely that your old thermostat is inaccurate. Update your thermostat to a new digital model.

Have you ever wondered if there is such as thing as DIY heating? Well, there is but it's greatly limited unless your best friend is an electrician, plumber, sheet metal worker and has all the tools to do the necessary pressure testing after installing a new unit. Unfortunately most of us don't have such a friend. Also, when a heat pump is installed it and your electric box must be inspected by State or local inspectors. A new heat pump and air conditioning unit requires careful installation that should be left to professionals.

One type of DIY heating is solar. Solar panels are relatively easy for those with DIY experience to install. There are many different makes of solar panels for passive solar power, they are Carmanah, Duralite Global Solar, Kyocera, Mitsubishi, Photowatt, Schott, Schuco, Shell, Sun Power, Sun Tech, SunWize, Uni-Solar, Webel and Yingli. Depending on the size you want panels can be bought by watt, from 1 watt to 5 watts to 200 watts and greater. Best of all passive solar panels require virtually no maintenance and last for decades.

If you decide to purchase a window air conditioner or portable room air conditioner make sure that you buy the correct size. Don't go without knowing exactly how many BTU your room requires. It's based on multiplying the length of your room by the width of your room to get the square footage. Buy based on square footage needs. You should take into consideration number of windows and height of ceiling. If you've lots of windows on a south facing side and very high ceilings you may want to add more BTU power. A window air conditioner that is too large will not cool efficiently.

Article Source: http://www.energyefficienthomearticles.com

Author: Norman Fleming is a heating, ventilation and air conditioning specialist. For tips about home heating and air conditioning and passive solar heating visit his site.
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