Our 3 Most Popular Heat Pumps in the Denver-Boulder Metro Area!
In a blog post not long ago, our team at Save Home Heat Company talked about what’s been trending with our customers in the land of Mitsubishi ductless mini-split systems. The answer, by a wide margin, was clearly a variety of heat pump systems. The chief motivations for the shift to heat pumps – away from AC-only systems – are generous heat pump rebates offered by Xcel Energy, combined with the fact that heat pumps provide electrically efficient heating in the winter, as well as air conditioning in the summer. A 100% electric-powered, year-round, “green” home comfort alternative.
In this post, we’ll broaden our scope to include all heat pumps that we install, both central and mini-split designs, giving our readers a comprehensive look at the types of heat pumps that are most popular with our customers this season. The heat pump home comfort evolution continues!
#1: 2-to-1 Mini-Split Heat Pumps from Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi Electric continues to be a global leader in ductless mini-split heating and cooling technology, and their multi-zone heat pump systems are very popular with homeowners in the Denver-Boulder metro area. Mitsubishi’s top-of-the-line, Cold Climate-rated (per Xcel), H2i Series mini-split heat pumps, in a 2-to-1 configuration, lead the way with our customers this season. “2-to-1” means that two indoor blower units are powered by a single outdoor condensing unit.
In the case of the Mitsubishi exclusive H2i system, the heart of the outdoor unit is a highly efficient, variable-speed, INVERTER compressor, which provides 100% heat output down to outdoor temperatures of -13 F and boasts efficiency ratings at the top of the industry.
The most common applications with our customers for 2-to-1 multi-zone systems are providing heating and AC for a master bedroom and also for a great room/living room area. It’s worth noting that in a number of cases, the homeowner chooses to install an outdoor unit that can accommodate additional indoor units, to be installed at a later date. Great for budgeting and planned growth! When more indoor blower units are added later, we find that they are often used in areas such as additional bedrooms, and in some cases the kitchen/dining area, a den, or even a home office.
2-to-1 Indoor Blower Unit BTU Sizes
Digging a little deeper into equipment sizing, when 2-in-1 mini-splits are used to service master bedrooms, indoor blower units rated between 9,000 and 15,000 “BTUs per hour” are fairly standard. For great rooms and living room areas, units rated from 15,000 to 24,000 BTU per hour are common. In exceptionally large great rooms, two indoor blower units may be needed to do the job satisfactorily, which suggests possibly starting out with a 3-to-1 multi-zone system as a more appropriate comfort strategy in this case.
#2: Mitsubishi 3-to-1 Mini-Split Systems
The next most popular heat pump with our customers in 2024 is also an H2i INVERTER mini-split system from Mitsubishi: a 3-to-1 multi-zone system, connecting three indoor blower units to a single outdoor condenser.
The most popular 3-to-1 systems with our customers encompass a master bedroom, a living room area, and a second bedroom. As with the 2-to-1 systems mentioned above, a number of customers choose to go with an outdoor unit that’s sized to accommodate expansion to cover additional rooms at a later date. Mitsubishi multi-zone systems are available to heat and cool up to 8 rooms off of a single outdoor condensing unit, assuming the needed BTUs for each room can be properly matched with the outdoor unit. On occasion, it may be necessary to add a second condensing unit to accurately meet the home’s needs.
A growing trend that we’re seeing is expanding mini-split multi-zone installations to condition an entire home, abandoning old, inefficient, uncomfortable, or gas-fired systems for the benefits that zoning and electrically efficient, “green” energy can afford.
#3: Whole-House Central Heat Pumps from Lennox
Lennox Industries home comfort products have been the best central, forced air heating and cooling fit for our customers for many years, and this is also the case with their central heat pump line. Similarly to the Mitsubishi line, our most popular central heat pumps from Lennox are top-of-the-line products which feature a variable-speed compressor and efficiency ratings nearly as high as the mini-split systems discussed above. Top of the industry, once again!
The most common application for a central heat pump with our customers is in a “dual fuel” installation. In a dual fuel system, the central heat pump works in tandem with an existing gas furnace, taking full advantage of the electrically efficient heat pump, while the furnace helps with the heavy lifting when outdoor temperatures turn real frigid. (Note: Central heat pumps cannot match the low-temperature performance of mini-splits, currently.)
That said, a growing number of homeowners, often those who live in tight, very efficient homes, are choosing to install a dedicated central heat pump with just an air handler, entirely replacing a traditional gas furnace and going all-electric.
The most common sizes of central heat pumps that our team installs are 3-ton (36 KBTU) and 4-ton (48 KBTU) equipment, with 2-ton (24 KBTU) and occasionally 5-ton (60 KBTU) systems also in the mix. (The higher the tonnage rating, the larger the home it can handle.)
Your Denver-Boulder Metro Area Heat Pump Experts
Save Home Heat Company is one of Colorado’s longest-standing Mitsubishi dealers and we’re a Mitsubishi ELITE Diamond Contractor, nationally recognized for our performance and our commitment to quality installations and customer satisfaction. We are also a top rated Dave Lennox Premier Dealer and have been awarded the Lennox Centurion and Signature Collection national awards numerous times. These Lennox awards recognize Save Home Heat’s consistently high level of customer service, and a focus on promoting high efficiency systems as the superior investment for homeowners.
We offer free, highly informative, zero-pressure installation quotes to homeowners in the Boulder-Denver area, as well as cities such as Loveland in the northern corridor. For expert, dependable advice on heat pumps that make sense to consider for your home – or for any of your home heating needs – please reach out to our comfort team at Save Home Heat today!
Please contact me to schedule a heat pump installation quote!
