My condo was already equipped with a forced air gas furnace when I moved in, living where I do, a heating plan is essential. I run the gas furnace for more than half the year. Air conditioning is really optional! However short our summer time season, both of us do get un-even temperatures in the nineties and the humidity is horrible. I held off for various years before I decided to invest in a whole-condo cooling system. Since the HVAC duct was already in place, I didn’t expect the cost to be prohibitive. I started by calling a local HVAC business for an estimate. After looking over my condo and making all sorts of calculations, he suggested that I spend a lot more cash on an electric heat pump. I was convinced that he was just hoping for a larger profit. I took the time to research the combination of a heat pump with a gas gas furnace and l earned that there’s a whole bunch of benefits. It’s called a dual fuel plan and it helps to cut the costs of both heating and cooling. While an electric heat pump is more luxurious than an air conditioner, it’s also a lot more energy efficient. The operation is very similar to a conventional air conditioner in that it uses refrigerant to transfer heat from 1 location to another. The heat pump is better at dehumidification and offers the added bonus of reversing to provide heating. It finds ambient heat in the outdoor air and pumps indoors. It doesn’t burn fossil fuels or create any combustion by products, making it exceptionally safe, wash and environmentally friendly. The heat pump handles demand until the temperature drops below freezing. At that point, the gas furnace automatically starts up and takes over. Because the gas furnace is carrying a much lighter workload, it should last quite a bit longer.