Years ago, I heard about heat pumps and how awful they were. Coming from a farming community in which it’s next two or three generations moved away and into larger towns and cities, I had no idea what a heat pump was. I was one of the kids who married and stayed in the area.
We started our married life in a small house with big drafts and a very small natural gas heater in the living room. The heat never got to the two bedrooms or the bathroom. The kitchen was warm only around meal times, because of the cooking and/or baking. My husband liked the heater because he could back up to it and warm his rear end after working in the cold Nebraska, below zero, weather. Truth be told, I saved a lot of baby chicks by keeping them warm by the heater.
Over the next fifteen years, I gave birth to five children. We had moved from one drafty, cold house to another, then moved within a few miles of my in-laws. One day when they were visiting, my daddy-in-law said something that changed our lives for the good. He remarked that our small children’s skin problems, wheezy breathing and sore eyes were caused by the air ducts. I had the kids play on the floor in front of the wall vent in order to keep warm.
Daddy explained that the inefficient furnace wasn’t keeping the house warm enough for them, or for us adults, who didn’t have to spend time on the floor, and that dirt tracked in from outside was getting past the filter and blowing back through the whole house. All of the houses that we had lived in were notoriously dusty. My momma-in-law never passed judgment on my housekeeping; She knew I had my hands full. But, she did add to her husband’s comments that the reason the kid’s eyes were sore was from the dirt coming through the vents directly into their faces. She wagged her finger and said that once they started school they would be sent home because their sore eyes would be mistaken for “Pink Eye.”
Daddy was a Trane dealer and when he said we should invest in a Trane, my little boys fell all over themselves and each other. Doting and loving grandparents, they got a hearty laugh from the “train” expectations of the boys. That was more than 20 years ago, and we moved again shortly after the folks’ visit. We never had a chance to install a Trane system into any home, until about a year ago. I remember my now deceased daddy-in-law saying that there are a lot of screw-ups who don’t know how to install a heat pump properly. He said, “Get one installed right and it’s a beauty!”
When we decided to replace our heating system, my husband did all the wheeling and dealing for a Trane; I’m still busy with kids, grandkids, pets and the housekeeping. I saw the papers and know we got a Trane Standard Efficiency XB 14. The thing I noticed first off was the quiet. I appreciate being able to sleep the night through without being awakened by a furnace kicking on and off! The house is the same temperature no matter what room I’m in.
According to the papers that came with our Trane, it meets or exceeds the minimum Federal Energy Star regulations. It has a Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF) of up to 8.5. We installed the Trane in the autumn of last year and the comfort was surpassed only by the savings on our heating bill. The Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) of up to 15 was extremely comfortable just this few months with the high temps of Texas during the drought. Also, we expect to qualify for any energy tax credits— every little bit helps.
My husband added the Trane CleanEffects air filtration system, paid roughly $1000.00 for it, to our heat pump system for more protection since our children all have allergies due to the years of having allergens, pollen and contaminants blown into their faces. When they are here, they say they can breathe easier and seldom sneeze or wheeze. It removes up to 99.98% of air-borne allergens.
The feature I like is that the unit has a cleaning indicator that lets me know when to rinse off the filter with the garden hose. I don’t have dirt and dust in this home as we put up with all these years. We paid nearly $9,000 for the heat pump as we had major duct repair and copper lines replaced. The system is already paying for its self in lower monthly utility bills.
Our house is comfortable year round and we are healthier. We are finally onboard the Trane! (Our kids have outgrown the “train” business!)
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