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The Air Source Heat Pump, coupled with a propane furnace, may be a solution for your heating and cooling needs. A Heat Pump looks just like a central air conditioning unit. To cool your home, a heat pump transfers heat from inside the house and sends it outside. When the season changes, a heat pump warms your home by simply reversing the process. Heat is extracted from air outside your home and moved inside, even during cold winter weather. A heat pump provides year around energy efficient comfort for your home.


A heat pump is very energy efficient in weather conditions from 30 degrees and up, but becomes less efficient during extreme cold. That is why back up heat is important only for those few days of the year, where temperatures drop below 30 degrees. Using a propane furnace for these conditions can help keep your house warm during those few extreme cold days. An air source heat pump, using a propane furnace, is referred to as a dual fuel system. Why does a dual fuel system make so much sense? A dual fuel system utilizes the strengths of electricity and propane. Your heat pump conserves gas while operating as the primary source for heating and cooling. By switching to gas heat during extremely cold temperatures, you use the strengths of propane heat, when it is most needed. During extreme winter weather heat pumps generally use an electric auxiliary furnace, to keep you comfortable, which uses more electricity. While this is a reliable system, it can be made better, by using a gas furnace to supply the auxiliary heat in temperatures below 30 degrees. This combination keeps you comfortable and can save money, by using to the strengths of both electric and gas systems. If you are currently using gas for your primary heating needs, a dual fuel system may be a good fit for you, because you would cut your propane consumption dramatically by using a heat pump for your primary heating and cooling.

In addition, your heating and air conditioning dealer can install a digital thermostat, which will disengage your heat pump when the temperature outside dips below 30 degrees, making your system operate virtually hands free.

For more information on dual fuel heating and air conditioning systems call Howell-Oregon Electric member services at 417-256-2131, or toll free 1 (888) HOE-POWER.