How Do I Know if I Have a Heat Pump?

How to Tell If I Have a Heat Pump?

Here are eight ways you can tell if you have a heat pump unit:

1. Heating and Cooling in One: Heat pumps are versatile systems that have the capacity to both heat and cool your home. If your HVAC system provides both heating and cooling functions, there's a possibility that you have a heat pump.

2. Electricity-Powered: Heat pumps primarily run on electricity. This makes them more energy-efficient compared to systems that rely on fossil fuels like natural gas or oil.

3. Outdoor Unit: Heat pumps have an outdoor unit that looks similar to an air conditioning unit. It works by moving heat in and out of your home.

4. No Gas Flue: Furnaces often have a visible gas flue as a part of their equipment setup. Heat pumps don't require a flue for venting combustion gases since they don't burn fuel.

5. Energy Efficient: Heat pumps have a reputation for their high energy efficiency. This makes them a popular choice for homeowners seeking cost-effective heating and cooling solutions. Also, the federal government, brands and local utility companies offer rebates on high efficiency units.

6. Cool Air in Heating Mode: One distinctive feature of heat pumps is that when in heating mode, they might blow air that feels slightly cooler than your body temperature. This is especially the case during milder weather. You would expect warm air or hot air during heating mode and cool air during cooling mode, but that's not the case. Your system is working, but it just operates much differently than a gas furnace on emergency heat.

7. Constant Operation: Heat pumps typically operate more consistently than traditional furnaces, providing a steady and even level of comfort.

8. Model Number: If all else fails, you can look up your outdoor HVAC unit's model number in Google or on the brand's website. That will be a sure fire way to determine what sort of heating and cooling system that you have. If you are a customer of Miller's, we have all your model numbers on file in your customer account.

Other Heating Systems

Conventional ducted systems come either as gas furnaces, air handlers or ducted heat pumps. Non-conventional systems do not use ductwork. Ductless mini-split systems are their name.

Ductless mini-splits include an outdoor unit and indoor units called indoor heads. This type of system benefits you by easily zoning your home. Plus, without ductwork it eliminates any duct leakage that can occur.

A normal home with traditional duct work will lose 25-40% conditioned air through leaks in the duct work. This is why we offer the Aeroseal Duct Sealing. It uses special non-toxic solvent to seal up your ductwork from the inside out. You can reduce your duct leakage by up to 90%.

Expert Guidance from Miller's Heating & Air

If you're still unsure what heat source and/or HVAC system is, our team can help. Our experienced technicians at Miller's Heating & Air are here to assist you. We offer comprehensive HVAC assessments. These assessments will determine what units you have and provide guidance on its proper use and maintenance.

Also, our dispatchers can assist you over the phone with an informal verbal assessment of your system. They can walk you through questions that will better determine what type of heating and cooling system you have. From there, they can advise a maintenance and/or repair call based on your needs.

We also provide free estimates on new equipment and are experts of all rebates available to you. Our Comfort Advisors do a heat load calculation on your home. It helps them determine exactly what size system your house needs.

Many HVAC contractors skip this step which is a major mistake. An undersized or oversized system won't run properly and will cost you more on utility bills. Our goal is for your system to be sized correctly and run efficiently.