"Noon-Air" wrote

Heat pumps when correctly sized and installed are designed to *maintain* a
constant even temperature. They do not deliver a blast of hot air, they
are not designed for that. Approximately 80% of the systems I install are
super high efficiency(13+ SEER) heat pumps and my customers love them.
They are so quiet, that the owner isn't even aware that the system is
running, and *just* the savings in propane will pay for the new heat pump
system very quickly. Most of these customers are amaised at how
comfortable their home has become with the new heat pump system, and how
even the temperature stays.

I'll second that. I am one of those that bad-mouthed heat pumps because
'they blow cold air" and were meant for the Carolinas and further south. I
put a 14 SEER Carrier system (with a variable speed air handler) in my dad's
house before he sold it. I told him he needed to get some kind of back up
like gas or oil heat and he said no. He had lived there with a heat pump for
10 years and he was happy with it. Little did I know I would later buy his
house. I have been in there for 4 winters now and I love it. Never really
hear the system running and all I know is: When I come home, it's
comfortable in the house.

O.K., I do have ventless gas logs in the fireplace and I will turn them on
low when it gets down into the teens at night. Sure, the heat pump will do
it on it's own, but i just like the idea of not giving all of my money to
the electric company. ;-]

Now, grant it, I am in Maryland and not Michigan so your mileage may vary.I
just wanted to back up what Noony said.