What is a Hybrid Heating System?
Hybrid Heating/Dual-Fuel explained:
Most homeowners will have a gas or oil furnace and an electric air conditioner or an electric heat pump to heat and cool their home. The heat pump requires help to continue providing enough heat to keep the house comfortable when the outside temperatures drop below 40 degrees. The standard heat pump uses an electric resistance heater similar to a large toaster to help the heat pump heat your home on those colder than 40 degree days.
A Hybrid Heating system combines the gas or oil furnace with the heat pump.
The heat pump will heat your home on the milder days, and the gas or oil furnace keeps you comfortable when the weather gets cold.
A heat pump can feel uncomfortable to some. However, most will say that the hybrid system and also known as a dualfuel system feels better than a heat pump because it produces warmer air coming from the HVAC system registers when the temperatures drop.
A gas or oil furnace combined with an air conditioner will keep you and your family comfortable through every season. A hybrid system will operate with the same level of comfort.
In the 1970s most gas furnaces had an annual fuel-utilization-efficiency (AFUE) rating of 65%. However, today’s furnace is much more efficient of up to 97%. Homeowners have the ability to have gas safely piped through your home for cooking, hot water, fireplaces, clothes drying, outside grilling and now with highly efficient furnaces. Combine these features with pleasant warm air temperatures coming from the registers; the popular choice is to heat your home with gas or a hybrid dual-fuel system.
A Hybrid system could be up to 30% more expensive. Depending on the size of your home or your particular application, the overall savings should be considered when making your investment.
You can tell how fast molecules are moving by measuring the temperature. The slower the movement of the molecules, the cooler the temperature. The faster the molecules are moving the higher the temperature.
