EcoRenovator - View Single Post - Using a mini-split for both air cooling and hydronic floor heating

jeff5may · 10-23-14, 09:53 PM

There is a very miniscule market for hydronic heating in general in the USA. The industry is geared 99.998% to sell central ducted systems. The remaining 0.002% of systems sold are divided between boilers, mini-splits and hydronic/solar/biofuel/other. I'm sure that air-source hydronic systems are in the very low parts per million in unit sales.

We are literally spoiled rotten by cheap energy! Literally the second thing I hear people ask about the subject in general goes something like this:

"You're telling me this $5500 system is going to save me only $35 a month??? Bah!"

An armchair calculation from another ecorenovator (thanks BBP):

My Cost of heat (per 100,000 BTU)
$.16 / Kwh Electricity = $4.69
$.78 / Therm with 85% Efficiency NG boiler = $0.92
(He figured any installed heat pump boiler would need to operate above a COP of 5 to be cost effective vs. a NG boiler)

Check out:

Daikin Altherma

NorAire

Nibe

Hydronic Furnace w/Heatpump

10-23-14, 09:53 PM	#4
jeff5may Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: elizabethtown, ky, USA Posts: 2,431 Thanks: 431 Thanked 619 Times in 517 Posts	There is a very miniscule market for hydronic heating in general in the USA. The industry is geared 99.998% to sell central ducted systems. The remaining 0.002% of systems sold are divided between boilers, mini-splits and hydronic/solar/biofuel/other. I'm sure that air-source hydronic systems are in the very low parts per million in unit sales. We are literally spoiled rotten by cheap energy! Literally the second thing I hear people ask about the subject in general goes something like this: "You're telling me this $5500 system is going to save me only $35 a month??? Bah!" An armchair calculation from another ecorenovator (thanks BBP): My Cost of heat (per 100,000 BTU) $.16 / Kwh Electricity = $4.69 $.78 / Therm with 85% Efficiency NG boiler = $0.92 (He figured any installed heat pump boiler would need to operate above a COP of 5 to be cost effective vs. a NG boiler) Check out: Daikin Altherma NorAire Nibe Hydronic Furnace w/Heatpump