Heat Pump Thread

It has been very very warm here lately. Passive gain through the windows has been putting the house into the low 70's alone so even the heat pump hasn't been running. I am starting to get soft though because a couple times in the morning and in the evening I've put on the mini split in the bedroom to bring the temp up a bit.
Otherwise I've somewhat resigned myself to use the heat pump if the temps are going to be above 35.
I'll see how that works out in practice, the idea is as long as the coil outside stays free of ice it will just make sense to run the pump and avoid it going in and out of defrost mode. Plus if it's in the 30's I'd want the fire going regardless.
Temps are heading for the 20's tonight so I'll certainly have the fire going when I get home this evening.

 

Same here. Definitely using the pellet stove less in general with the heat pump, and the far too warm winter temps are also a factor. Supposed to coldish for the next couple weeks so will use the stove then.

 

For the moment a benefit I'm enjoying is despite being in a small house, we now have 3 zones rather than just the 1 we had with out natural gas furnace. I set the main floor to whatever temp we want, and that's more than enough. With a newborn my wife is staying with him in the nursery so I'm sleeping in the upstairs room. I don't bother putting the heat on upstairs because it's just me and I'm fine under the blankets.
When I have put the mini splits on upstairs they've gotten the room up to temp real quick.
On the main floor we have a ducted air handler and if we set the temp to 63, the house will float around 65 on the thermostat. If we set it to 67 it can get up to 69/70. There seems to be a 2 or so degree upswing. My best guess is that the house is a bit small and the unit is operating in a manner that remains efficient. That's the best I can try to explain.

 

Anyone have any quotes from the last year on dual fuel Heat Pumps upgrades? First quote is about 5k more than what I was expecting and over double what I was quoted for similar size cheaper system 18 months ago.

 

check with your state to see if there are energy rebates. I have a system that is taking care about 1000 sq feet that cost $4000 total. I had that done when the gov. was handing out money. With the federal money and state rebate I have $100 invested. Make sure your installer is aware of the rebates if you have any, and make your he stays within the guidelines. wonderful heat and cooling. I have a bedroom, bathroom and the rest is one large open area. My son installed one by himself except for the electrical hook-up. He paid less than half of what mine cost, but no rebate for him because he isn't a licensed installer. He said it was simple to install.

 

QUOTE="DNH, post: 1491573, member: 2810"]Anyone have any quotes from the last year on dual fuel Heat Pumps upgrades? First quote is about 5k more than what I was expecting and over double what I was quoted for similar size cheaper system 18 months ago.[/QUOTE]
The last few years have seen a big jump in price on these. 30%-50% more is not uncommon.

But dont worry we are not being gouged on everything since covid.

 

My last quote was from June 2021 (I believe savemoney was either around the same time or a little earlier). Dual zone minisplit was $6,400 then. I'm not sure about duel fuel heat pumps.

Installation/labor will cost roughly twice what the parts are. Parts get a percentage markup - probably around 20%. So if you are looking online and get prices for all the parts, you can roughly multiply by 2 or 3 to get a sense of where the total cost should lie. And don't forget to add in all those little parts (hoses, wires, etc - they aren't cheap). Also, if you are comparing to a friend's install, unless you have identical houses right next to each other (because travel costs are included in the markups), identical usage, looking at identical systems and the friend's install has been in the last 3 months that just doesn't work (or at least not around here).

And lastly, there can be large differences in cost of the unit itself depending on brand. In my case, quotes for Lennox units were a couple thousand more than the Fujitsu and Mitsubishi systems.

Check to see if there is a federal tax rebate - the duel fuel should as long as it hits a certain efficiency target. As a duel fuel, your utility/state may not carry any incentives - your state may not carry any incentives at all.

Edit - It may be worth it to see if the company gives a discount for cash (if you can swing that). Some do and some don't. There may may be a 3% (or higher) markup for credit card and for sure there is a hefty markup if they are financing for you.

 

We heated with the mini split last winter.
Our electric bill did go up. At it's highest, it was about 150 to 175 more than our normal cost. I have a pellet stove but ran that only one week during the coldest week of the winter when the temps were sub-zero. I can't heat with pellets for that amount. I do have gas heat, but that is set at 70. My wife likes the inside temp about 76. I like the heat from our stove the best, but it costs more and is more work to run. I have to use a walker or wheelchair, so lifting fuel is a real issue. I must get a cart that I can pull or push to move anything.

 

Stove heat is the best.

 

Thanks for the reply’s, ordered a Goodman 18SEER heat pump unit. If anyone is looking 8-11k is a cheap system, 10-15 for your entry/mid range units and 15-25 plus for premium units.

Farmchuck I agree I love the heat from a wood stove, but the new house doesn’t have a good spot for one. I do have a wall mounted ventless propane heater I crank up and back up to when I come in from the cold!

 

We had a service guy here the other day to work on our oil furnace. It is 50 years old but we have used it sparingly since we started burning wood 40 years ago. He said it is in good shape. He mentioned something about putting in a heat pump system with a propane furnace and the cost he was talking about was around 20K. As long as we can burn wood, we would never recoup our money going that route. He only services a few oil furnaces a year. I am glad he has held on to his specialized tools for oil furnace work. Being out in the country, we do not have the choice of nat gas or propane.

 

I might join this group buddy has a way 2 get mini splits 2 for $4,000 after rebates and help with installing. He’s a plumber
Wife is excited about not having windows ACs
And helping with shoulder season when it’s too warm to light the black beast Ideal Steel

 

You won't believe how well they cool. Got the window units all beat to heck. Much more cooling and the cost is much less. We have our on for heating as well. Does a fantastic job. My son installed one in the garage for his needs. He isn't a plumber. He did have an electrician come and help out.

 

Good to hear Larry, one brother is contractor, good friend lives mile down street closer than a brother. Not worried about wiring, but got a master in family too.

Even at a good price, a positive return on investment is necessary for me to spend $$

BUT wife saying I want lowers the rate of return necessary

 

Capacity is correct, but usually they talk about efficiency.
There is a (temperature) point where "the juice is not worth the squeezin".
I'm very happy with my M.S. and it's a good addition to/for my heating choices for varying seasons and the only way to cool imho.

 

^ In complete agreement with this statement. It does get to a point where the temp outside is so low that its not worth it to try and heat a space, but almost all of us have some kind of a wood or pellet burner for that. Summer and the shoulder seasons are where these things shine.
Right tool for the right job kind of a thing.

 

I never considered AC a necessity, my wife and her Shepherd are educating me

It’s just hard to justify 3 heating systems in a house

 

We had 3 window units buzzing constantly in the summer. 2 on the main floor and 1 in our bedroom upstairs. The curtains were drawn closed and it was still uncomfortable, in the kitchen cabinet this nearly gallon sized container of coconut oil that we got from Costco which usually has the consistency of a chalky looking paste was completely liquid it was so hot in the house.

I said I can't live like this, we're getting central air. The hunt was on to figure out what to do, I'm pretty happy with the results.