Prototype_es t1_iv8zfbm wrote
Reply to comment by the_other_b in New dwellings in Washington state must be warmed by heat pumps, rather than furnaces, beginning in July, state board rules Friday by BarnabyWoods
Home inspector here that also has a heat pump. You should consider some form of supplemental heat in the home, worst case scenario it rarely gets used. However it has to be pretty cold for a heat pump to get ineffective. Think under 20 degrees for an extended period of time. Theyre massively more efficient than an electric furnace or cadet heaters however and youre going to save quite a bit on energy bills comparatively. If you already have a furnace in the home that functions, you dont need to get rid of it, the HVAC tech will set up the thermostat to have the furnace only kick on if the heat pump cant keep up. If youre concerned about the environmental implications, electric furnaces exist as well but theyre very expensive to run as a daily unit and youre much better off using your heat pump day to day
bdevel t1_ivam6lt wrote
Modern heat pumps work to -30F degrees. They are plenty efficient at +20F. Especially in Washington, it's very unlikely you'll need supplemental heat.
the_other_b t1_iv9gw6k wrote
got it, we have a pellet fireplace as well of the furnace ever turns out to be a problem.. just wasn't sure if that fallback functionality required a newer furnace.
Splenda t1_ivar9vh wrote
That depends entirely on where you live and which heat pump you choose. The latest high-HSPF models rarely resort to backup even in USDA zone 4. Still, I think we'll see many owners of existing homes there replacing older central AC units with heat pumps while keeping gas for security, much as many Canadians do. This will change over time as cold weather heat pumps keep improving.
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