When my husband and I purchased our home in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, it was already outfitted with a natural gas furnace and ductwork.
- While the furnace was nearly brand new and effectively handle winter demands, I wasn’t happy with the lack of centralized cooling.
Although the summers in Sioux Falls are fairly short, we can expect temperatures in the mid to upper eighties. I don’t like the aesthetics of window air conditioners. I worry about the security of open windows and don’t want my family hiding out in their bedrooms for the sake of comfort. I started researching the different makes, models and SEER levels of various air conditioners. Eventually, I reached to to a local Sioux Falls HVAC company for recommendations and an estimate. The technician that came to the house suggested that i invest into a heat pump instead. Since a heat pump costs a lot more to purchase and install than a conventional air conditioner, I was a bit suspicious about his motives. However, I read up on the benefits of a heat pump compared to an air conditioner and was surprised. A heat pump combines both heating and cooling capacity. During the summer months, it operates just like a traditional AC, extracting heat from the living space and transferring it outside by way of refrigerant. The rewarding aspect of a heat pump is when it reverses the flow of refrigerant to provide heat. The heat pump costs significantly less to operate than the furnace. It is capable of handling comfort in the home until the outside temperature drops below freezing. At that point, the furnace automatically starts up and takes over.