What Is a Heat Pump, and How Does It Heat a House in the Adirondacks?
A heat pump is an electric heating and cooling system that moves heat instead of making it. In winter it pulls heat out of the outdoor air — there is still usable heat in air at -10°F — and carries it inside through refrigerant; in summer it runs in reverse and works as an air conditioner. Because moving heat takes far less energy than burning fuel to create it, a Mitsubishi cold-climate heat pump delivers roughly three units of heat for every unit of electricity, which is why it costs less to run than oil, propane or electric baseboard in Ticonderoga, Essex County and across the lake in Addison County, Vermont.
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How a heat pump moves heat
Your refrigerator is a heat pump. It pulls heat out of the food compartment and dumps it into the kitchen through the coil on the back. A home heat pump does the same thing on a bigger scale, in both directions:
- Heating mode: refrigerant in the outdoor coil evaporates at very low pressure and absorbs heat from the outside air, even when that air is below zero. The compressor squeezes the vapor, which raises its temperature well above room temperature. Indoors, the hot refrigerant condenses in the indoor coil and a fan blows room air across it. The refrigerant expands, cools, and heads back outside to do it again.
- Cooling mode: a reversing valve flips the loop. Now the indoor coil absorbs heat and humidity from the room and the outdoor coil releases it outside — exactly like a central air conditioner.
The key fact for the North Country: air at 0°F still holds about 85% of the heat energy that air at 70°F does. A good cold-climate compressor can harvest it. A furnace or boiler, by contrast, has to burn fuel to create every BTU, and the best of them deliver less than one unit of heat per unit of fuel energy.
Air-source vs. ground-source heat pumps
Air-source (what we install)
Pulls heat from the outdoor air through a compact outdoor unit on a bracket or stand. No excavation, installs in one to three days, and modern Mitsubishi Hyper-Heating models are rated for real Adirondack cold. The equipment and installation cost a fraction of a ground loop, and NYS Clean Heat and Efficiency Vermont both rebate them. Nearly every residential heat pump going into Essex County today is air-source.
Ground-source (geothermal)
Pulls heat from the earth through buried loops or wells, where the temperature stays around 50°F year-round. Very efficient and unbothered by air temperature, but the drilling or trenching makes it a much larger project with a much longer payback, and it needs ductwork or radiant inside the house. It makes the most sense on new construction with the land and budget for it.
Ductless vs. ducted heat pumps
An air-source heat pump can deliver heat to your rooms two ways, and most whole-home designs in older North Country houses use both.
- Ductless (mini-split): the outdoor unit connects through a 3-inch wall hole to one or more indoor units — wall-mounted, floor-mounted or a ceiling cassette — each with its own thermostat. No ducts, no duct losses, zone-by-zone control. This is the answer for the 1800s village home with a boiler and baseboard, the lakeside camp, and the addition the old system never reached. See ductless mini-splits.
- Ducted: a Mitsubishi air handler sits where a furnace would and pushes conditioned air through existing or new ductwork. Nothing on the walls, one thermostat per air handler. This is the answer when you already have ducts from an oil or propane furnace. See ducted air handlers.
One outdoor unit can run up to eight indoor units of any mix, so a typical whole-home conversion might be a ducted air handler for the first floor plus wall units in the upstairs bedrooms.
Cold-climate vs. conventional heat pumps
This is where most of the "heat pumps don't work up north" stories come from. A conventional heat pump — the kind sold in the Carolinas, or the budget unit at the big-box store — is designed around a 47°F rating point. Its output falls off a cliff below about 20°F and most shut down or switch to electric strip heat around 0°F to 5°F. In Ticonderoga that would mean running on expensive resistance heat for a good part of January.
A cold-climate heat pump is engineered for the opposite case. Mitsubishi's Hyper-Heating INVERTER® (H2i®) uses a variable-speed inverter compressor and a flash-injection circuit that keeps refrigerant flowing at full force when it's bitter outside. The result: 100% of rated heating capacity at 5°F, continued operation to -13°F, and -22°F on H2i Plus and FS-series models — with no backup strip heat in the equipment. That is the difference between a heat pump that works in Charlotte and one that works in Saranac Lake.
Read more: cold-climate heat pumps explained and how Hyper-Heat works.
What a heat pump changes in an Essex County home
One system, both seasons
Heat in January, air conditioning and dehumidification in a humid Lake Champlain July, from the same equipment. Most of our customers never had central AC before.
Lower cost per BTU
Oil, propane and electric baseboard are the most expensive ways to heat a house. A heat pump's three-to-one advantage is why the savings are biggest in exactly the homes we serve. Run your numbers.
No fuel deliveries, no combustion
No tank to fill, no chimney to clean, no carbon monoxide risk, no flue. Homes with a wood stove often keep it for ambiance and backup and let the heat pump do the daily work.
Quiet
Mitsubishi wall units run as low as 19 dB on low fan — quieter than a whisper. The outdoor unit is about the sound of a quiet conversation and ramps instead of slamming on.
Room-by-room control
Each indoor unit has its own setpoint. Keep the bedrooms cool, the living room warm, and the guest room off until company comes.
Rebates and 0% financing
NYS Clean Heat through NYSEG or National Grid, Efficiency Vermont across the lake, and 18 months at 0% through Synchrony. Rebate details.
Heat pump basics, answered for the Adirondacks
Does a heat pump work when it's below zero?
A cold-climate model does. Mitsubishi Hyper-Heating INVERTER systems deliver full rated heating capacity at 5°F and keep operating to -13°F, with H2i Plus and FS-series models rated to -22°F. Conventional heat pumps lose most of their output below 20°F, which is why the brand and model matter so much in Essex and Franklin counties.
Is a heat pump the same as a mini-split?
A mini-split is one kind of heat pump: the ductless style with a wall, floor or ceiling indoor unit connected to an outdoor unit by a refrigerant line. Ducted heat pumps use an air handler and ductwork instead. Both are air-source heat pumps and both heat and cool.
Does a heat pump also air condition?
Yes. Every Mitsubishi heat pump we install is a full air conditioner in summer, with dehumidification and a dedicated dry mode. For most Ticonderoga homes it's the first central cooling the house has ever had.
How efficient is a heat pump compared with oil or propane?
A high-efficiency oil or propane furnace delivers less than one unit of heat per unit of fuel energy. A Mitsubishi H2i delivers roughly three units of heat per unit of electricity on a seasonal basis. Even at North Country electric rates, that usually makes the heat pump the cheapest way to heat a home that has no natural gas.
Do I need backup heat with a heat pump?
Not for the equipment to work — Mitsubishi H2i systems have no built-in strip heat and don't need it. Some homeowners in the High Peaks keep a wood stove or the old boiler for the handful of -25°F nights or for power outages. We'll size the system for your design temperature and tell you honestly whether backup makes sense.
How long does a heat pump last?
With annual maintenance, 15 to 20 years is typical. Mitsubishi backs the equipment with a 12-year parts warranty when installed by a Diamond Contractor ELITE, and our Adirondack Shield Elite Care Plan adds 12 years of labor.
What does a heat pump cost to install?
Single-zone systems start in the low five figures installed before rebates; whole-home systems are a larger investment offset by the top rebate tier and 0% financing. The exact number depends on zones, unit styles and electrical, which is why we price it at a free in-home estimate. See our pricing guide for what drives the cost.
Rebates Available
North Country homeowners switching from oil, propane, wood or electric baseboard to a Mitsubishi cold-climate heat pump qualify for NYSEG or National Grid rebates through NYS Clean Heat, and Addison County, Vermont homes qualify through Efficiency Vermont plus utility bonuses. Rebate amounts change by program and tier — we tell you exactly what your home qualifies for at the free in-home estimate and handle the entire application for you.
★★★★★“We had Mark, Rolland, and Matt help get mini splits installed in our first home. They worked with us to make sure we had the right system for our home. This team provided amazing professionalism, customer service, and expertise!”
★★★★★“Been doing business with Gerry and his crew for close to 10 years and always totally satisfied with their product and customer service.”
★★★★★“This is our second Mitsubishi heat pump … to heat the 30x40 insulated metal building with a single head we put up but handles it great. … they had to order and install the system in a little over 2 weeks to get it done by 12/31 to qualify for a large rebate and they got it done.”
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