[solarguy]

Just to flesh out the conversation, there are different types of heat pumps, ground source (water and earth) and air to air.

Air to air, typical of mini splits, are much less expensive to install than ground source heat pumps. Traditionally, they performed poorly when temps went much below freezing because the evaporator/expansion coils would freeze up outside. So they resorted to resistance heating until they were frost free. When they are in resistance heat mode, they are no more efficient that the cheapest resistance heat.

But I have heard that the newer ones get around that defect somehow. Could anyone describe how they do that?


Ground source heat pumps never frost up, because they use soil or well water to extract heat from. But FAR more expensive to install, and no neat way to do it. Huge trenches and lots of buried pipe.


And for the OP, what is your current heating and cooling method?


troy