The average temperature in Tuscaloosa swings from the mid thirties into the upper nineties.
While it sometimes soars into the triple digits, conditions rarely drop below freezing. When I purchased a home in Tuscaloosa, it was already equipped with a furnace and central air conditioner combination. The heating unit was nearly brand new and a top-of-the-line model. The cooling unit was extremely outdated and struggled to manage the summer heat and brutal humidity. The air conditioner seemed to run non stop and yet I wasn’t satisfied with the level of comfort. Plus, it consumed a great deal of energy, resulting in super high energy bills. I started looking into new air conditioners. When I consulted with a local HVAC contractor in Tuscaloosa, he recommended purchasing a heat pump instead. A heat pump is quite a bit more expensive than an air conditioner. This is because the single unit provides both heating and cooling. It operates by simply transferring heat between the indoors and outdoors. The process is especially clean, quiet and energy efficient. It costs a lot less to operate a heat pump than a furnace. For the local weather conditions, the combination of a heat pump and furnace is ideal. The heat pump handles demand for the majority of the year. During the summer months, it operates just like an air conditioner. The system is especially effective at dehumidifying. When the weather cools off, it reverses the flow of refrigerant to bring ambient heat indoors. If the outdoor temperature should drop below freezing and the heat bump begins to have difficulties measuring up, the furnace automatically starts up.