MN ASHP Collaborative: Cold-climate air source heat pump in Pelican Rapids, MN

Cold-Climate Heat Pump in Pelican Rapids

Steve Haiby likes to get the best performance out of his home systems. A few years ago, he was on the hunt for a high-efficiency solution for heating and cooling his home built in 1998. After researching his options and gathering information from other homeowners, Haiby landed on a cold-climate air source heat pump.

Haiby was aware that some homeowners worry heat pumps won’t perform as well as advertised on cold winter days. However, he was confident in the technology and decided to take full advantage of his unit’s capacity by setting the changeover temperature to -5°F.

“It’s been wonderful. This high-efficiency heat pump worked out so well.” 

— Steve Haiby

Haiby carefully tracked his heat pump’s performance during the 2020–2021 winter and was pleased with the results. His unit met the entire heating load of his home throughout November and 85% of his heating needs in January. Even during a polar vortex in February that brought 11 below-zero days and eight nights below -20°F, Haiby only had to run his backup propane furnace one-third of the time.

As time has passed, Haiby has been increasingly pleased with his heat pump. “Operating costs for both heating and cooling are low with super-efficient tech like this, and it brings carbon emissions down, too,” Haiby says. “It’s a win–win for everyone.”

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