Installing a new heat pump in your Fresno area home is a major investment that will dictate the quality of comfort and amount of energy consumption for many years. Use this guide for heat pump installation to get the most out of your investment.
Prepare your home
The best way to prepare your home for a heat pump installation is to schedule a professional energy audit. Your cooling professional will perform a detailed energy evaluation using the following sophisticated equipment and diagnostics:
- Blower door tests depressurize the home to draw in outside air, which infiltrates from any number of entry points including an attached garage, electrical outlets, the attic access door and more. This tells how airtight your home is, and where air sealing can improve its efficiency.
- Infrared imaging scans the home for hot and cold spots, which indicate precise insulation deficiencies including improper installation or deterioration, or more commonly, just not enough.
- An efficiency analysis determines energy-usage habits of household members, including temperature settings during at-home hours and working hours, a review of previous energy bills, and noting interior attributes such as window coverings and treatments, lighting and ceiling fan use.
Sizing the new heat pump
Your cooling pro should use Manual J from the Air Conditioning Contractors of America to conduct a cooling/heating load calculation. Dozens of measurements and variables are needed, such as the home’s layout and cubic footage, number of occupants, number and size of windows, insulation levels, airtightness and much more.
The figures from the cooling/heating load calculation are needed for Manual S, which is used to match the size of the new heat pump installation to the cooling/heating load. By ensuring your new heat pump is accurately sized, you won’t be overpaying for a system that’s too large.
Next, your cooling pro uses Manual D to design the new duct system, or determine if the existing duct system will suffice with perhaps a few modifications. Good duct design is vital for long-term home comfort and energy efficiency.
For more information, please contact us at Donald P. Dick Air Conditioning. We’ve provided Fresno area homeowners professional heat pump installation and quality HVAC services since 1970.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the greater Fresno, California area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about heat pump installation and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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