THE PROBLEM: An aging HVAC system was becoming more expensive to repair, while the homeowner was also dealing with high first-floor humidity and uneven temperatures throughout the home. They wanted better comfort and reliability, but they also had another goal: reduce their reliance on natural gas and use less fossil fuel without completely giving up the comfort of gas heat during a Pennsylvania winter.
THE SOLUTION: A heating and cooling load calculation revealed that the home's existing 4-ton air conditioner was oversized. Rather than replacing it with another 4-ton system, the home was matched with a properly sized 3-ton Ruud two-stage heat pump and a 96% AFUE Ruud two-stage variable-speed gas furnace. The resulting hybrid, or dual-fuel, HVAC system allows the heat pump to handle much of the home's heating during milder weather while keeping the gas furnace available when temperatures get colder