A new low-noise heat pump for single family homes

Because of the effects of climate change, there is a recent trend to move away from natural gas and oil furnaces for heating homes and move toward all-electric systems. Split system heat pumps provide an efficient and effective way to both heat and cool single family residences. Typicallly, the furnace is located inside the garage and the outdoor unit is located on the side of the house so it is not visible from either the front or the back yard. The noise generated by the outdoor units located on the side of the house will often exceed the local noise ordinance sound level limit at the property line. This is particularly important in colder climates for heat pumps because the noise ordinance limit is usually lower during the nighttime hours when the heat pump will be operating in the heating mode. This presentation will discuss a new heat pump series that has noise levels 10–15 dBA lower than previous designs of comparable capacity. Using these low-noise heat pumps in single family residential areas will often eliminate the need for additional noise barriers around the equipment. A case study will be presented where a 4-ton heat pump was able to meet the 45-dBA nighttime noise ordinance limit with the unit located on the side of the house 10 feet from the property line.