Case Study: Cold-Climate Heat Pump in Kenyon

Gene Bang is someone who keeps careful track of his expenses. Over the 2020–2021 winter, he noticed that his propane prices had nearly tripled. However, what normally might have been a concerning jump didn’t bother Bang.

This season, Bang had another option for heating his Kenyon, MN, home — a high-efficiency air source heat pump. Unlike propane prices, his electricity rates were reduced over the winter. Bang also took advantage of the off-peak usage pricing offered by his electric cooperative, Goodhue County Co-Op, resulting in even lower electricity rates. “I use a lot less propane now!” says Bang.

“The tech is so much better.”

Bang noticed that his heat pump did a better job keeping the temperature consistent than his propane furnace had in the past. The heat pump automatically runs at a low level, switching between heating and cooling, to keep the temperature steady. “The heat pump knows what to do and takes care of itself,” Bang says.

If he was giving advice to another homeowner, Bang would recommend they also get a high-efficiency, cold-climate unit to stretch how far they could economically use electricity for heating. “Get a low-temperature unit,” Bang says. “That’s the direction I would go. It’s going to save you money.”