What Is the Life Span of a Heat Pump?
Back to BlogA heat pump is a cost-effective, energy-efficient solution that delivers exceptional performance in Georgia’s climate. Capable of keeping your home cool throughout the summer and warm all winter long, heat pumps are an increasingly popular choice because of their efficiency, reliability, and longevity. You can expect your heat pump to deliver 15 to 20 years of reliable comfort with proper care and maintenance.
Get expert help from the HVAC technicians at Conditioned Air if you want to make the switch to a heat pump for your middle Georgia home. Call (478) 742-8768 to schedule an appointment.
Understanding the Life Span of a Heat Pump
Heat pump operation is straightforward. Each air source heat pump consists of an outdoor unit, indoor unit, refrigerant, compressor, reversing valve, and expansion valve. There are coils within the indoor and outdoor unit through which refrigerant circulates.
In the summer, the indoor unit works as a condenser. As the coolant circulates through the condenser, it absorbs heat and expands into a gas. At this point, it evaporates, causing the coolant to cool and removing the warm air from within the home. In the winter, the flow is reversed.
Because the process requires mechanical components, they will wear out over time. How long that is really depends on the quality of the manufacture, the adherence to maintenance, and the quality of any repairs. Properly cared for and maintained, it’s not uncommon to get 15 to 20 years of dependable performance from a heat pump.
What Factors Shorten the Life Span of a Heat Pump?
Many factors can shorten the life span of your heat pump. These include:
- Poor design/substandard manufacture: Carefully review any heat pump before purchasing. A cheap, poor-quality heat pump will likely fail before you expect it.
- Avoiding maintenance: Heat pumps require annual maintenance if they’re only used for cooling and biannual appointments (spring and fall) if they’re used for both heating and cooling.
- Ignoring repairs: If one component fails, it increases wear and tear on other components. This increases the cost and complexity of repairs and the likelihood of a premature system failure.
- Not cleaning the unit or changing filters: Allowing dust, dirt, debris, ice, etc., to build up on fins, coils, air filters, etc., increases wear and tear and diminishes performance.
How To Extend the Life Span
There are plenty of steps you can take to keep your heat pump in prime condition. When it comes to extending the life of your unit, the following are top-tier recommendations:
- Clean the filter: You should do this every month.
- Maintain your electrical system. This helps protect the unit from power surges, outages, etc.
- Clean the unit: Keeping coils, fins, cabinets, etc., clean helps improve system efficiency and performance.
- Check refrigerant: Ensuring you don’t have refrigerant leaks will go a long way toward keeping your unit energy-efficient and reliable.
- Stay on top of repairs: When you hear odd noises, smell odd odors, see pooling liquid, or notice diminished performance, schedule a service appointment immediately.
Tax Credits
Many energy-efficiency-related tax credits are available that can help lower the cost of owning a heat pump. Whether you want to install a heat pump or the time has come to replace your existing heat pump, it’s worth taking a look at available options.
Homeowners can claim 30% or up to $2,000 for installing an air source heat pump. The unit must be ENERGY STAR® certified and meet the minimum ratings to qualify. For Georgia, that means:
- SEER2 > 16
- EER2 > 12
- HSPF2 > 9
Further, homeowners can use this credit and others to claim total aggregate credits of up to $3,200 per year. Thus, it can be combined with credits for windows, doors, insulation, electrical systems, etc.
You can also claim credits for geothermal heat pumps. These are separate and do not count against the aggregate limit. Homeowners can claim up to 30% under the Residential Clean Energy Tax Credit this year. Thus, homeowners with significant investments in windows and other energy-efficient upgrades may want to consider maximizing their tax credits for those systems by choosing a geothermal heat pump or strategically scheduling their upgrades.
We’re always ready to help you save money and enjoy superior comfort! Contact Conditioned Air at (478) 742-8768 to speak with our heat pump technicians.