Your home’s HVAC system is command central for comfort, whether that means feeling cozy when temps are plummeting outside or staying nice and cool on a steamy July afternoon. With equipment this vital to your home comfort, it’s important to do serious research on which product is right for your house and habits — or you can let us do the legwork for you. The Trane XV20i Variable Speed Heat Pump with Trane Link is a 2023 Good Housekeeping Home Renovation Award winner, and for good reason, says Dan DiClerico, home improvement and outdoor director at the Good Housekeeping Institute. “If you’re looking to update your home’s heating and cooling equipment, a heat pump is the way to go,” says DiClerico. “And there’s none we like more at the Good Housekeeping Institute than this system from Trane.”
In case you haven’t heard, advances in heat-pump technology have been revolutionizing residential heating and cooling. Compared with traditional HVAC equipment, heat pumps are more efficient, quieter, easier to install and less harmful to the environment. And once in place, they do more to improve indoor air quality than older technology. “Heat pump technology has so many advantages over traditional HVAC equipment, starting with the fact that the same system can both heat and cool a home,” says DiClerico. So it makes sense that around 4 million heat pumps were installed last year. Trane’s system “represents the best of the best,” DiClerico says.
The XV20i Variable Speed Heat Pump, which can be paired with a gas furnace in a dual-fuel system, selects the most efficient heating source for your home based on the current conditions, continuously slowly down or speeding up as the weather fluctuates to cool or heat the home to within half a degree of the chosen temperature. In run-of-the-mill weather, the heat pump handles climate-control duties (both cooling and heating). In extreme cold conditions, the system automatically switches to the furnace for optimal energy efficiency.
Increased comfort isn’t the only advantage. You’ll also get decreased energy bills — even on days when the A/C is countering the most intense summer heat. The system has excellent SEER2 and HSPF2 ratings, DiClerico says. “In plain English, this is one of the most energy-efficient heating and cooling systems available today, which will translate into huge savings in energy costs over the life of the unit.”
And as if optimal comfort when you’re home weren’t enough, the system can also be controlled and monitored remotely, using the Trane Home app. From your phone, you can easily adjust the settings to reduce energy consumption when you’re away for the weekend, for example, then update it to ensure your home is at an ideal temperature before you walk back through the door.
If homeowners opt in, the Trane Home app grants advanced diagnostics capabilities, too. With this additional knowledge, an HVAC pro can remotely monitor and assess the system, potentially catching issues or even knowing what part you need before they arrive. This way, the pro can catch problems before they turn into pricey repairs as well as avoid unnecessary site visits — saving you both time and money.
Now is a particularly good time to upgrade your system with a Trane heat pump, because the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) is offering a superb combo of federal rebates and tax credits, with new tax incentives rolling out throughout 2024. (Many states offer additional incentives of their own, too.) Trane Comfort Specialists can help you navigate the IRA perks that apply to your home, as well as point out other rebates you might be eligible for, based on where you live.
