Ground Source Heat Pumps

The Ground Source Heat pumps had the advantage of having relatively stable heating output regardless of outdoor temperature. However, many contractors noted degraded heating output at the end of the heating season, as the ground loops had substantially cooled the surrounding earthen material, and the late winter loop temperatures dropped to their low for the season. Ground Source contractors and their consumer customers enjoyed the 30% unlimited tax credit available from the federal government to reduce the cost of these systems. Then the tax credit disappeared, and the ‘naked economics’ of ground source systems didn’t look as rosy as before. Now contractors must “rethink” residential systems for areas where no natural gas supply exists. And that’s where YORK’s modulating heat pumps come in.

YORK YHM Heat Pump

Let’s start with the YORK YHM Heat Pump. This product, priced at a mid-tier level, offers exceptional performance for the same customers that might have had a ground source system installed when the tax credits were alive. The modulating capacity feature is available in both heating and cooling modes. Ground Source contractors will probably take advantage of this to do what they used to do with ground source – size the unit closer to the heating load in order to keep the heating bills as low as possible!

YORK YHM Advantages:

• Mid-tier pricing
• Exceptional performance
• Modular capacity in both cooling & heating modes

Gaining Additional Cooling Capacity

It’s true – you may be able to use a 5-ton unit on a 4-ton cooling load and enjoy the higher capacity heating benefits (a lower balance point so the heat pump can heat the house to a lower outdoor air temperature before the electric strip heat kicks in), while still having a unit that can run down to as low as 2.5 tons in the cooling mode for good summertime dehumidification. The best of both worlds! And, the customer would have the additional “over design” cooling capacity for the occasional family reunion or neighborhood party at their house this summer.

The modular capacity on a YORK Modulating YHM heat pump is a significant benefit over conventional air source heat pumps. It is essentially allowing for a slightly larger unit capacity to lower the heating system balance point, which keeps those heating bills low without suffering dehumidification penalties in the summer. Of course, you would still need adequate ductwork and filter capacity in order to handle the full system capacity – but that was also true for the ground source systems that were sized more for heating duty than just limited to the design cooling capacity.

Natural Gas Companion

And for those areas with natural gas available the YHM heat pump is the perfect companion for the YORK Variable Speed Furnace, either two-stage or modulating! That way, the consumer gets all the benefits of smooth, even temperature control along with the low cost supplemental heating of natural gas. But MOST of all, your customer gets the flexibility of using either Modulating Heat Pump or High Efficiency Gas Furnace, depending on how fuel costs change over the future. The YORK YHM Heat Pump can be the crown jewel in your Dual-Fuel home comfort system offering.