It's not your imagination. Just when you need it the most, your heat pump does less.

A heat pump works basically by extracting heat from the air. The trouble is, when it's very cold outside, there isn't much heat to extract. So just when you need your heating plant most, it can't do much for you. It is obvious that your need for heat rises as the outdoor temperature declines. Unfortunately, your heat pump's ability to generate BTU's drops right along with the temperature. The colder it gets, the less heat it delivers! That's a vicious circle that has many households shivering all winter.

When your supplemental system kicks in, your electric bill bites back!

The builder of your home most likely knew your heat pump couldn't do the job in winter. That's why there's probably a supplemental electric resistance back-up system. That's the least expensive back-up system for the builder to install, but it sure isn't the least expensive to use, is it? After you got your first few winter electric bills, you turned the thermostat down a notch or two. And there you sit. Never really comfortable all winter in that lovely house you bought.

Why you feel cold with a heat pump, even when the thermostat says you shouldn't.

The typical electric heat pump produces air warmed to an average temperature of about 92º Fahrenheit. That's substantially below human body temperature. That air just doesn't give a house a really warm, cozy feel. The average oil-fired hot air system generates air warmed to about 110°, or well above body temperature. This air makes you feel really warm and comfortable. It's just that simple.

Introducing the Heat Pump Helper!

At last, help has arrived from your local Oil Heat Dealer. He has developed a Heat Pump Helper program that offers you the best of both worlds: all the toasty comfort of oil heat in winter, and all the effectiveness of your heat pump for air conditioning in summer. It's as easy as adding some heat to the air coming out of your heat pump so you feel really warm for the first time!

You'll be amazed at how simple the remedy is.

At the heart of your new Heat Pump Helper system will be a very efficient oil-fired hot water heater or boiler, which will replace your expensive, energy-gobbling electric model. In winter, it will also help heat your house by circulating hot water through a Fan Coil Unit, which will also be added to your system (see diagram).The fan will blow air across the water-heated coil and into your existing heat ducts - not at the anemic temperatures produced by your heat pump, but at up to 110°F! This much warmer air will make your whole family feel really comfortable for the first time, even on the coldest days. And while the Heat Pump Helper employs the latest technology, making it amazingly efficient, compact and easy to vent, it is also extremely reliable. An oil-fired water heater or boiler has been the best and most dependable way of heating water for many years.

And the Heat Pump Helper actually pays for itself!

Are you ready for the part that seems too good to be true? Fact is, you'll save so much in electricity usage that you'll pay for your new Heat Pump Helper equipment in just a few years. Because getting rid of that electric water heater may reduce your electric bill by as much as one half! And that's not all. Your Oil Heat Dealer makes it even easier to afford the Heat Pump Helper with very attractive financing. So, you may find your monthly payment for the new equipment is mostly or entirely offset by your monthly savings on your electric bill. It could be like getting all that cozy comfort, and all that extra hot water, free! And after the equipment is paid for, you'll put the savings in your pocket for many years to come. An oil-fired water heater or boiler is more rugged and durable that its electric counterpart, so you'll go on saving for a long, long time.

The wonderful hot water bonus.

Your new oil-fired hot water heater will not only keep your whole house satisfyingly warm, it will also deliver an almost inexhaustible supply of hot water to your bathroom and kitchen - usually four times more than at present! Nothing is as fast at heating water as oil, because nothing burns hotter. The typical electric hot water heater delivers at a rate of only about 20 gallons per hour, while your new oil-fired model produces at least 90 gallons per hour! You'll be able to enjoy the luxury of virtually endless showers!

Who says oil and water don't mix?

Of the available home energy sources, nothing heats water as fast and efficiently as oil. That's because home heating oil burns at 2200°F, while even natural gas only burns at 1800°F: Electricity? It's only 37% as efficient as oil. That's because of the huge energy loss at the power plant, converting to electricity. its electricity and water that really don't mix!

A move that's good for you and your community.

The Heat Pump Helper is good for everyone in our region for lots of reasons. Most important, it helps conserve energy. Growth in this part of the country will exceed the capacity of present electricity generating plants in coming years, unless we all begin to conserve now. Secondly, today's clean-burning oil systems offer a big plus for air quality when it replaces energy generated at electric power plants.

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that every time an electric water heater is replaced by an oil-fired system the carbon dioxide emission is reduced by more than two tons per year!

Technical developments in the past 20 years have made modern oil heating equipment as clean and non-polluting as any other residential fuel -including gas. Because of superior combustion characteristics, due to the fuel itself and burner technology, oil home heating equipment operates at efficiencies averaging about 10% higher than other fuels. Despite short-term fluctuations, oil heat prices have remained relatively stable over the past twenty years, while natural gas prices have surged dramatically. Over the past 10 years oil heat has actually cost less than gas.