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Dual Fuel Heating System

We have provided a few FAQs to help answer your questions:

Q. What is a dual fuel heating system?

A. It is a system which combines two fuel sources - electricity as a primary source - and an alternate fuel such as LP gas or oil, as a secondary source. If you presently have an electric system, you can still benefit by adding oil, LP gas or wood. And conversely, if you have an oil or LP gas system now, you can benefit by adding an electric system.

Q. How does a dual fuel system work?

A. Your dual fuel heating system is connected by radio control to a central control station. During peak periods, when demand for electricity is highest, a dispatcher can switch your home -without interruption of service – from electricity to the secondary fuel for a few hours. Another signal will switch your home back to electric heat.

Q. How can this reduce my heating costs?

A. From 5 PM to 9 PM during the winter months, the demand for electricity is highest. Installing dual fuel in as many homes as possible can significantly reduce these costs and allow for better load management. Therefore, dual fuel participants are eligible for a lower electric heating rate, and everyone benefits.

This method of extracting heat from ground water really has a lot going for it. Sometimes called earth-coupled heat pumps, they are the safest, most energy-efficient, pollution-free heating and cooling systems available!

And, although the initial installation cost may be higher, annual operating costs are much lower than all other types of heating systems. These savings extend to summer months, where cooling costs can be as much as 50 percent less than the average central air conditioning system.

The fridgerant in the outdoor coil of an air source heat pump absorbs the natural heat, which is always present in outdoor air and carries it to the indoor section coil where it is used to heat the home.

This versatile method of heating lets you reverse the procedure in summer to provide a central air conditioning system.

The air-to-air heat pump also can be added to an existing furnace and duct system. In this way, the consumer gets high-efficiency air conditioning as well as low-cost space heating for the shoulder months.

Q. How does an air source heat pump work?

A. Like an air conditioner or refrigerator, a conventional air source heat pump operates by moving heat from one location to another. This type of heat pump cools the home during the summer by extracting heat from the indoor air and moving it outdoors. During the winter, it provides heat from the outside air and moves it indoors. In either case, the heat pump uses electricity efficiently to move heat against its normal flow.

Q. How does a ground source heat pumps work?

A. The ground source heat pump utilizes water as the medium from which heat is extracted. Water is pumped through a heat exchanger in the heat pump. Heat is extracted, and the water is then returned to the ground, either through a discharge on a drain field or through a closed loop system.

Because ground water temperatures do not vary as dramatically as outside air temperatures, the heat available for transfer, as well as the unit's operating efficiency level, remains relatively constant throughout the winter. At depths of 10 feet or more below the ground, water in the soil maintains a year-round temperature of about 46-50 degrees in this region. So, in the summer, it's cooler than the outside air, and in the winter, it's warmer - making it an ideal energy source.

Q. How much does it cost to install?

A. Although the initial installation cost may be higher, annual operating costs can be 35 to 70 percent lower than other types of heating systems. The added savings carry over to summer where cooling costs can be 30 to 50 percent less and the waste heat can provide free domestic hot water.

Got a question about heating and cooling, please contact our Marketing Department at 850-265-3631.