Whether you’re replacing a dying air conditioner or adding AC to your house for the first time, you have two main options to choose from: a heat pump or a conventional air conditioner.
Heat pumps and air conditioners can both cool your home effectively. But, there are some important differences to be aware of when considering a heat pump vs an air conditioner for your California home.
The most important difference revolves around heat, surprisingly. Heat pumps are an all-in-one heating and cooling system while conventional air conditioners can only cool. Because of this, the choice between them depends heavily on how you want to heat your home.
In this guide, we explain how heat pumps work and when they’re a better choice over an air conditioner for California homeowners.
The Difference Between Heat Pumps, Mini Splits & Central Air Conditioners
Before we get into which is the better choice, let’s get on the same page about how heat pumps work compared to air conditioners. For the purposes of this guide, we’re talking about central air conditioning, not window units, and air-source heat pumps. We’ll touch on both ducted and ductless air-source heat pumps.
Central Air Conditioning
Central air conditioners use the same technology as your refrigerator, but on a larger scale, to cool your house. They connect to your central ductwork and remove heat and humidity from your home while replacing it with cool air.
Ducted Heat Pumps
Ducted heat pumps work the same way as a central air conditioner. They connect to your home’s ductwork and “pump” heat out of your house. But unlike air conditioners, they can reverse the process. When set to heating mode, heat pumps extract heat from the air outside and bring it into your home to provide central heating.
Mini Split Heat Pumps
Mini split heat pumps are sometimes incorrectly referred to as mini split air conditioners. But mini splits don’t just provide air conditioning. Like ducted heat pumps, they combine heating and cooling in one unit. Mini splits, however, do not connect to ductwork. Instead, they are connected to an outdoor unit by a narrow conduit that runs through an exterior wall. The indoor unit is installed directly in the room you’re looking to heat or cool, often on the wall.
How Heat Pumps & Regular AC Compare
There are a few key factors to consider when comparing a heat pump vs air conditioning.
Heating Needs
As we mentioned earlier, the most important difference between a heat pump and an air conditioner is that a heat pump can heat and cool your home while an air conditioner can only cool. If your heating system is old or in poor condition, installing a heat pump is likely the best decision since you’ll get a new heating system along with your new cooling system.
Installation Costs
Heat pumps are often more expensive to install than traditional central air conditioning systems (although this isn’t always the case). But you’re getting a new heating and air conditioning system when you install a heat pump. If you go for a traditional AC system, you’ll still have to think about what a new heating system will cost when it’s time to replace that. In most cases, a heat pump is more cost-effective in the long run.
Rebates & Incentives
We can’t talk about cost without considering incentives. Heat pumps and high-efficiency air conditioners both qualify for incentives that can reduce your upfront costs. But heat pumps qualify for a lot more incentive dollars than conventional ACs. You can get a $2,000 federal tax credit when you install a heat pump system versus a $600 credit for a qualifying high-efficiency AC—that’s a big difference.
Energy Efficiency
Heat pumps and high-efficiency central air conditioners can both provide energy efficient cooling for your home. The real difference is in a heat pump’s energy efficient heating capabilities. Heat pumps can be up to three times more efficient than a gas furnace, and they can reduce your electricity use for heating by about 50% compared to electric resistance heating.
Environmental Impact
Heat pumps provide all-electric, carbon-free heating and cooling, which reduces fossil fuel consumption. If you install a central air conditioner, you’ll be using electricity to cool your home in the summer, but you’ll still be burning gas to run a furnace in the winter. With a heat pump, you can get gas out of your home.
Ductless Capabilities
Mini split heat pumps have the additional benefit of being ductless. If you want to add air conditioning to a house without ductwork, or if you only want to add cooling to one or two rooms, mini splits are a more efficient and effective option than window air conditioners, and you’ll get heating, too.
The Bottom Line: Heat Pumps Outperform Central AC
Heat pumps work just as well as air conditioners and they provide many additional benefits. If you’re ready to make this important electrification upgrade, the Clean Energy Connection is your best resource. Our free online directory connects homeowners to clean energy contractors in California. You can use the directory to find an experienced, highly-rated heat pump installer near you who will be able to help you choose the best energy efficient HVAC system for your home.