Heat pumps in New Hampshire: an honest guide
How cold-climate heat pumps handle a New Hampshire winter, what they cost to run, and why we insulate first.
What a heat pump does
It moves heat instead of making it. Even at 10 F there is heat in outdoor air, and a cold-climate heat pump pulls it indoors for a fraction of the electricity a baseboard heater would use. In summer it runs in reverse and cools. One system, no fuel deliveries, no combustion in the house.
What to expect in a New Hampshire winter
- Full output down to about 5 F, reduced but useful output to -15 F and below
- Steady, even heat rather than the on-off cycle of a furnace
- Outdoor units mounted above the snow line, on brackets or a stand
- A short defrost cycle now and then on damp, cold days; that is normal
Insulate first, then size
A heat pump is sized to the house's heat loss. Air sealing and insulation can cut that loss by a third, which means a smaller system, a lower price, and a unit that keeps up at the coldest hour instead of struggling. It is also the order the rebates favor: the NHSaves insulation rebate comes first, then the utility heat pump rebate.
The assessment measures the heat loss, models the house after insulation, and gives you a heat pump size and quote you can trust, with the utility rebate filed for you.
Rebates
Each NHSaves utility offers rebates on qualifying cold-climate heat pumps; the amounts differ by utility and equipment and change over time, so we put the current figure for your utility in the quote rather than on this page. See the rebates and forms center for where each utility publishes its offer.
Questions
Do heat pumps work below zero?
Cold-climate models do. They are rated to deliver full heat at 5 F and keep running, with reduced output, to -15 F and below. On the coldest few nights a year many homeowners keep the existing boiler or furnace as backup, and we tell you up front whether your house needs that.
Will a heat pump cost less to run than oil?
In most southern New Hampshire homes, yes, by a wide margin at current prices, and more so after air sealing and insulation. Use the heating cost calculator with your own prices to see the comparison for your fuel.
Ductless or ducted?
No ducts in the house means ductless mini-splits, one head per zone. Decent existing ducts mean a central ducted heat pump can replace the furnace and the air conditioner at once. Many homes end up with a mix.
Related
Let's take a look at your house.
It starts with a phone call at no cost. We tell you plainly what the house needs, what NHSaves will cover and what the rest will cost, in writing, before anything is scheduled.