A hybrid heat dual fuel system combines a natural gas furnace with an electric heat pump to provide home heating more efficiently than either type of system working alone. A hybrid heat system is well-suited to homes here in North Texas for a variety of reasons, including our relatively mild winters and our easy access to abundant natural gas supplies.
A heat pump works by transferring heat from one place to another. In the summer, it takes heat from indoors and exhausts it to the outside. In winter, the process is reversed, with the unit removing heat from the air outside and moving it indoors. Heat pumps are more energy efficient than natural gas furnaces when outdoor temperatures are chilly, but above freezing, which is typical of our North Texas winters even on average January afternoons.
When the weather gets really cold a heat pump will not work, but a furnace can operate at its highest efficiency. A hybrid heat system will automatically switch between the heat pump and the furnace depending upon the outdoor temperature. In chilly weather, the heat pump will heat the home efficiently. On cold nights and during frigid winter storms, the furnace will take over.
A hybrid heat system is a little more expensive to install than a stand-alone furnace, unless you figure in the fact that the heat pump can also provide cooling in hot weather. Most homes in McKinney and the surrounding communities are already equipped with natural gas furnaces and electric air conditioners, so when the time comes for a new air conditioner it makes a lot of sense to replace it with an electric heat pump. The heat pump will provide cooling in warm weather and can be integrated with the natural gas furnace to provide the most efficient heating in the winter.
Contact Bill Joplin’s Air Conditioning & Heating for help finding the best heating and cooling solutions for your North Texas home. If you are designing a new home or replacing your existing air conditioner, a hybrid heat system may be the way to go for maximum home comfort and efficiency.
