June in Appalachian Ohio is one of the most beautiful – and comfortable – times of the year. Baby birds are cheeping in their nests; the flower and vegetable gardens are growing; and the weather is just right for sleeping with the windows open at night.

February’s terrible freeze is a distant memory, or is it?

In a short six months, we will see bare trees, gray days, freezing temperatures, and snow. I hate to remind people about their home heating bills, since for many folks it is a painful memory. This is the time to make plans and work toward lowering your expenses next winter.

If you already have a heat pump system or a dual fuel unit, turn the page. This column will not teach anything you don’t already know. But, if you continue to heat your home with an electric furnace or portable heaters, this is a message you need to read.

Electric resistance heat is not very efficient when compared with cents or dollars of benefit returned. There, I’ve said it. Buckeye REC would rather not sell you a dollar’s worth of electricity if you don’t get a dollar’s worth of energy value. The sad fact is that electric resistance heat only returns around 30 cents of benefit for every dollar you spend.

It’s simply the nature of the technology. Basically, an electric furnace or portable heater works like a giant toaster. Electricity produces heat when it meets resistance; the heat strips or coils glow red with energy, warming the air that passes through the system. The operation of these heat sources during very cold conditions leads to demand peaks that cost everyone more money.

Heat pumps, however, are very efficient in returning dollars of energy benefit. They extract heat from the outside air – even when temperatures are at or below freezing. The process uses pressurized refrigerant and inside-outside coils. Heat is derived from the energy released when the refrigerant changes its molecular state under pressure.

Air-to-air heat pumps, the most common type, can deliver up to four times more heat energy to a home than the units consume. Even more efficient are geo-thermal heat pumps, also called ground-source or water-source heat pumps. These systems use heat from the ground or water to heat the home.

The added advantage to a heat pump is that it is also an air conditioning unit. In fact, heat pumps are really air conditioners that can work backwards, thanks to a reversing valve that allows the refrigerant to be used in either heating or cooling mode.

One similarity between heat pumps and electric furnaces is the presence of resistance heat coils. At a certain point below freezing, heat pumps begin to lose their efficiency. When this happens, the resistance heat kicks on to help maintain indoor temperatures.

New ultra-high SEER heat pumps are entering the market that can operate efficiently down to around zero, but this technology comes with a higher price tag and it is not yet widely available.

For my money, I’d rather look at investing in a dual fuel system. Dual fuel systems combine a fossil fuel furnace, capable of burning natural gas or propane, with an electric heat pump. It’s the best of both worlds. It provides summer air conditioning, but in the winter your home is warmed by the heat pump when outside temperatures are at or slightly below freezing. At a certain point, the gas furnace automatically kicks on when the heat pump begins to lose efficiency.

Dual fuel units have been around for years, and BREC endorses the combined technology strongly enough to provide a $400 installation rebate. For bottom line savings and the flexibility to endure volatility in energy pricing, dual fuel units and heat pumps are your best bets.

Why wait until October or November to decide to replace your old electric furnace? Call us at BREC for more information.