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[151949]

@SahmIam We had a Trane - it kept us nice and warm then when it needed replaced we got another Trane.

[RedTop]

West Virginia winters are cold and long.   The key to keeping my house warm with a heat pump during arctic blasts is to use the Emergency Heat setting, using the inside unit as an electric furnace.   

My friend and her husband are on heat pump #3 in a house they built 15 years ago.   They finally learned they cannot just set the thermostat on Auto, Heat, and 70, and just let it do its thing in bitter cold weather, which is how they managed to burn up the first 2 units.   They continued to let their heat pump run as usual, even tho the outside unit was covered in a heavy icy frost, causing the unit to run constantly and burn itself up.   When the icing occurs, you switch the thermostat to air conditioning for a short time and let the system pull heat from inside the house thru the outside unit to melt the icy frost.   Once the outside unit looks clear, switch back to the heat cycle.   

I love the convenience of an electric heat pump; our thermostat sits on 72 year round, which is the temperature most comfortable for my family.   

[VaBelle35]

I noticed a lot of older homes here in the VA suburbs had heat pumps installed after they were built.  I'm guessing it was a good sales pitch to people to save money during the energy crisis years.

I rented a townhouse for a few years and it had electric heat and a heat pump and it never felt warm.  Most days of winter here in the DC area are mild, so it is logical to get a heat pump and then you just power through those really cold snaps.

I swore I would never live anywhere without natural gas heat again.