Cost to install Air Source Heat Pump?
 

I'm trying to decide if I should get an air source heat pump, I'm not feeling up to hacking my own together and I'm not sure if my co-home-owner would go for it either, so I'm thinking of a mini-split to function as A/C and dehumidification in the summer and supplemental heat in the spring and fall when we only need to heat the house a little bit above the outdoor temp, I don't see it being worth competing with the low cost of running a natural gas furnace so running a heat pump in the colder parts of the year doesn't seem practical.
So what I'm looking at are the single head, 9,000BUT or so heat pumps and having it in the living room because that is the largest room in the house and is also on the north side of the house.
I can do all of the wiring and bolting everything together, but I've never worked with a refrigeration system before so that part I'd want to hire out, I'm also looking at units that are on the energy star list and seeing prices of $1,500 or so.
I think that last summer we ran the A/C maybe 25 or 30 days over the entire summer, an hour or so per day, but we also have the dehumidifier in the basement that is running a few hours per day so a heat pump that dehumidifies would make that run less as well in the summer.
So my main reason for asking these questions is to figure out if we should just go with buying a new energy star rated window a/c unit or is the long term savings of a mini split worth it.

Mini-Splits are much quieter, to the point that it is hard to know that they are running most of the time.

They are more efficient too.

If you are unsure if you can DIY an install, check out Xringer's install thread.

It is well illustrated and described. Quite a few other people have installed their own from reading his thread.

Xringer was hesitant too, until I talked him into it.

-AC_Hacker.

I read some of his threads and I got the impression that he still hired someone else to pull a vacuum and install the refrigerant, something I don't think I have the tools to do, other then that it's all compression fittings, right? but charging the system is something that I think is beyond me unless I'm missing something.

I like the idea of it being quieter and more efficient and my co-home-owner does as well, but if it's a cost of $1,000 or more over a window unit... that would be hard to justify.
Other reason for wanting to do this is we don't have any form of solid fuel heat in my house, it's on a city lot too so our heating options are pretty limited and we'd like to have an option other then natural gas and at some point would like to install PV panels, this might happen sooner rather then later, so a heat pump seems like a good option for running off solar for some home grown heat.

If your 'co-home-owner' knew how quiet and effective a mini-split system actually is, she (or he) would bribe you and coax and cajole you until you went the mini-split route.

-AC_Hacker

That was one of my thoughts as well, she does like the peace and quite and even the heating side of it will be quieter then our Lenex Pulse furnace that makes a loud rumbling from it's pulsed combustion chamber.
Trouble is, we both only work part time and are not rich, so cost is an issue, but we do have our priorities and a long term outlook.

I was told that some of these mini splits might already be charged and that making the connections with the compression fittings puncture the seal, allowing it to be put together without having someone come out to charge the system, is this correct or common? if this is the case then the install should be pretty straight foreword and simple, right?

They all come with the outside unit pre-charged.

The technology is changing fast, but I do know that there are systems that are set up to fully accommodate home installation.

To be quite honest, I overcame the HVAC tool hurdle early in the game, and that since then, my focus has been on performance and efficiency, rather than on 'no-tool' installations.

If you think that you don't have the confidence to rise to the challenge of DIY install, you probably shouldn't attempt it.

Having said that, Xringer was leery of a total DIY on his Sanyo that you read about, and he called a tech to come and anoint the unit with holy water. Subsequently, he acquired an additional Sanyo, same size, and he did successfully do a total DIY install.

But Xringer was something of a tech-head before he went on to full HVAC glory. It is well to know what you are and perhaps more importantly are not capable of.

-AC_Hacker





if this is the case then the install should be pretty straight foreword and simple, right?[/QUOTE]

Critiques of this quote?
 

Anyone have a response to this quote? Some context: I am in a very mild Southern Cali coastal climate, I am sealing and insulating the house, it is currently 1472 sqft and will expand to 1900 sqft, power rates are $0.14/kwh for first 307 kwh and then rates start going up until the jump to $0.25 and $0.28 after 610kwh/month. I plan to install solar power. I do not need cooling much more than a couple days a year. This will mainly be for "winter" heating, when lowest nighttime temps will get down to ~40 degrees F.

My response is that your question is too vague to respond to.

What is your real question?

-AC

Sounds a little high. I paid the installer about 7k last year for my 4 ton 16 SEER system. (heat pump heater, no gas) It was a complete new system including new wire from the breaker.

2.5 ton should be plenty with your climate. I could probably get by with 3.5 in my 2400 sq ft house here in TX, where our summer is hotter and our winter colder than yours.

:) haha! This response will do, though the open ended question was to allow issues that I am not specifically questioning to come up, such as the electrical wiring aspect PaleMelanesian raised. I am mostly concerned about performance and value: what SEER, COP, or HSPF numbers should be my bottom threshold and what brand manufacturers, if any, would you prefer? Thanks.