Replacements & Upgrades

If you are replacing a furnace or boiler at the end of its life, you will probably find that you can upgrade to a much more efficient model. While high-efficiency units may cost a bit more to purchase, this investment can pay off in energy savings over the long term. 

If your home heats with propane or fuel oil, adding an air source heat pump is likely to save you money, even though you’ll probably need to retain your furnace or boiler for the coldest days. 

Click here for our Air Source Heat Pump FAQ
 

Click here for our Air Source Heat Pump Contractor Guide.

An air source heat pump transfers heat from one place to another to efficiently heat and cool your home in most weather. During warm months, it pulls warm air out of your home to make it cooler. In cooler months, it pulls heat from outside (even small amounts) into your home to warm it. Because air source heat pumps move heat rather than generate it, they are highly efficient.

Heat pumps can replace a central air conditioner and connect to existing ductwork, if you have it. If your home doesn’t have air ducts, they can be mounted separately in individual rooms (called “ductless” or “mini-split” air source heat pumps). 

Air source heat pumps can provide heating down to very cold temperatures. A cold-climate heat pump can work efficiently at 5 degrees. Some units, particularly ductless heat pumps, can provide heat even in the teens below zero. However, nearly all Minnesota homes require a backup heating source, such as a furnace or baseboard heat, for the coldest days.

Air source heat pumps can typically save money for households that heat with electric resistance, propane, or fuel oil. The Center for Energy and Environment found that, in Minnesota, installing an efficient air source heat pump saved 30% on heating costs over a propane furnace, and 50% over electric resistance heating.

Many homes in Minnesota have natural gas-powered furnaces and boilers. Because the cost of gas tends to be lower than the cost of propane or electric resistance heating, air source heat pumps may not provide cost savings for homes heated with natural gas (though they can be cost effective in the right circumstances). If the cost of gas were to increase relative to the cost of electricity, heat pumps would become more cost competitive.

To optimize cost savings, consider the outdoor temperature at which you will switch from using the heat pump to your back-up heat. The Minnesota Air Source Heat Pump Collaborative offers a Cost of Heat Comparison tool to roughly compare your options. Keep in mind that these calculations will be affected by the cost of gas, which can swing greatly from year to year (as well as the cost of electricity, which changes more slowly). 

If you are concerned about greenhouse gas emissions or burning fuel inside your home and want to reduce your household’s reliance of fossil fuels (such as gas, propane, or fuel oil), an air source heat pumps can be a great option. Because they run on electricity and Minnesota's electric grid is powered by increasing levels of carbon-free energy, converting from fossil fuel heat to electric heat lowers your carbon impact. 

Many homes in Minnesota have natural gas or propane water heaters. Replacing an aging unit with a new gas/propane unit will probably be the least expensive option in most situations. However, operating costs can be less for air source heat pump water heaters, especially compared with the cost of propane. Gas water heaters typically heat water faster than electric models, too.

Gas and propane water heaters have higher safety risks. Regular maintenance is important to ensure that the unit is working properly and not venting dangerous gases inside your home.

Electric resistance water heaters use electric resistance heating elements to generate heat. They do not have space requirements and are often less expensive to purchase than heat pump water heaters. However, they are less energy efficient than heat pump water heaters and may cost more over the long term.

Electric storage water heaters have large tanks, usually at least 100 gallons, that are insulated to hold heat. They allow you to heat water overnight, when electricity is in low demand and less expensive. Electric utilities, especially rural cooperatives, often offer discounts on the water heaters themselves and a low rate for overnight electricity.

If you’re interested in an electric storage water heater, visit your electric provider’s website, or contact them to ask what they offer.

Heat pump water heaters, also called hybrid electric water heaters, are an efficient all-electric option. They pull heat from the surrounding air and transfer it to stored water. They are can be four times more efficient than traditional electric resistance water heaters, because it takes substantially less energy to transfer than to generate heat. However, it takes longer to heat water with a heat pump, so these units have electric resistance heating elements for when hot water is in peak demand. 

Heat pump water heaters will also help to dehumidify the space they are in. When they pull heat from the surrounding air, they leave cool, dry air in its place. Locating a heat pump water heater in a damp area, such as a basement, can improve the quality of air in your home. 

Heat pump water heaters can cost less to operate than electric resistance, propane, or even gas water heaters (depending on electricity and gas prices). However, they may cost more to purchase, and switching from propane or gas may require wiring upgrades.

A heat pump water heater must be installed in a room of sufficient size (450-1000 cubic feet, depending on the unit), and they are generally taller than traditional water heaters. They also require a drain for the condensed water that results from removing heat from the air. 

Heat pump water heaters produce a low humming sound. Although this humming typically does not exceed 40 decibels (dB), it can reach up to 60 dB on colder days. A boiler often has the same noise level as a heat pump, with a range of 40 to 60 dB. For perspective, 40 decibels is comparable to a refrigerator; 60 dB is akin to the noise created by an electric toothbrush. 

Many homes have natural gas or propane stoves. You can adjust the temperature more quickly on a gas then a conventional electric stove (though not more quickly than induction). The decision of what kind of stove to use in your kitchen will come down to your own priorities and how much weight you put on things like the ease of cooking and responsiveness of your cooktop, your cooking style, indoor air quality, and budget.

Conventional electric stoves use heat-producing elements to generate heat through coils and/or through a glass surface. Electric stoves do not cook as quickly as induction stoves, and the cooking surface gets very hot. However, they are compatible with all cookware materials and generally less expensive than induction options, so an electric range can be a great option.

Induction is an efficient way to cook food quickly without the indoor air pollution that comes with a gas appliance. Induction stovetops are electric options that use magnetism to send electric pulses into cookware, heating it directly without heating the surrounding surfaces. Induction stovetops heat up very quickly and allow rapid rises and drops in temperature. They put nearly all of their energy into heating the food (rather than the stovetop itself), so they are considerably more efficient than traditional stoves. 

Induction stoves are often confused with electric glass stovetops. One easy way to tell: if the glass surface of your cooktop gets hot or glows red, it’s not an induction stove. 

Induction stoves only work with magnetic cookware. Pots and pans made of magnetic stainless steel, iron, or nickel will work. Glass, copper, aluminum, and ceramic pots and pans will not, and some steel pots and pans may have internal layers that prevent them from working on induction cooktops. Test if your cookware is compatible with an induction stove by placing a magnet on it – if the magnet sticks, the cookware will work.

If you’re a renter interested in using less fossil fuels in the home, consider a portable induction cooktop. They are relatively inexpensive to purchase, can be placed on a countertop, and can be taken with you when you move.

Individuals with pacemakers are advised to stay at least two feet away from inductions stoves while in use. The electromagnetic fields from the stove can interfere with the function of the pacemaker.

Replacing an existing gas or propane dryer with another of the same kind is usually the simplest and least expensive option. However, if you are interested in eliminating fossil fuel use in your home, you may want to consider an electric or electric heat pump model. 

Electric clothes dryers use electric resistance technology to dry clothes.  They generate heat through electric resistance and expel hot air through an exhaust vent.

Electric clothes dryers are less expensive to purchase than an air source heat pump dryer and dry clothes more quickly but are less energy efficient than heat pump alternatives.

Heat pump clothes dryers use electricity to remove moisture from your clothes. Instead of generating heat via a gas burner or with electric coils, the heat pump technology moves heat from one area to another. Like other heat pump technology, it moves heat from the surrounding area into the dryer.

Unlike gas and electric resistance clothes dryers, heat pump dryers do not need an exhaust vent. Instead, heat pump dryers circulate warm air within the dryer itself. Since a heat pump dryer does not need an exhaust vent nor a gas hookup, there is greater flexibility in its placement in your home. However, the water they extract from clothes must be drained, either via a hose connected to your home’s plumbing or by manually emptying a water tank every cycle or two. 

Heat pump dryers tend to utilize longer drying cycles, though longer cycles will ultimately be gentler on your clothes.