The size of a heat pump is a guide to how much space it can heat or cool (basically). The right-sized heat pump for your house will keep your home perfectly comfortable all year, and can save you thousands of dollars on the costs of installation, energy, and maintenance.
Figuring out the proper size can be tricky. Generally, larger homes in more extreme climates will need bigger heat pumps. But it also depends on the insulation, draftiness, and other factors. Even pro heat pump installers can come up with wildly different estimates, depending on the measurements they take—or guesses they make—about your home.
After speaking with HVAC experts and homeowners alike, we’ve come up with 7 guidelines that can help ensure you’re getting the just-right, Goldilocks-sized heat pump for your home. You won’t find any easy shortcuts in this guide, because they don’t exist. But you will learn how to spot the signs of a thoughtful installer, how to pick between different quotes, and with some work, come up with a decent heat pump sizing estimate on your own.
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