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Originally Posted by mincus
However, after a year in, I'm starting to try to look for some savings. I've already insulated fairly well (but could always do more).
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It's pretty safe to say that most of the folks here on EcoRenovator agree that it is better to conserve energy than to try to generate more.
You might see if there is a free or cheap energy assessment program in your area. The people on those teams are usually well educated in the art of recognizing where energy losses might be and helping you to find the leaks and losses and then to prioritize the order of energy-saving measures, with biggest-bang-for-the-buck at the top of the list.
If such a program is not available to you, paying attention to stopping air leaks is the first order of business. There is a thread here on EcoRenovator, wherein one of our members uses all of the existing extractor fans simultaneously to create a negative pressure in the house and then looks for leaks using his hand moistened with water to feel the cold leaks.
You didn't give us much information on your insulation improvements, but it's probably not enough. Use the "search" function on this page to see what others have done. There are a lot of informed, motivated individuals here, and you could learn a lot from their combined experience.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mincus
Would I be better to run the upstairs heat pump from about 2:00 to 5:00 (usually the warmest time of the day) up to about 72? Then, just turn it down to 66?
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I think that this is really a great idea, because the warmer the outside temp, the more efficient your heat pump will operate. It's too bad you dont' have some kind of large controllable thermal mass to store that energy in.
Sleeping temperature is such a personal thing and what works for one person may not be at all acceptable to someone else... But my strategy is based on the idea that I have found that I sleep much better when I am warm and the air and room I am sleeping in, is cold. So, I have two down comforters on my bed and I usually open the window at night (I have even run a window fan in the dead of winter). I also have an electric blanket on the bed which I only use for making the bed nice & toasty. I turn it off before I get in. Pretty inexpensive luxury.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mincus
...does the increased efficiency during the day override the increased heat loss due to a higher temperature differential between inside and outside?
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You have put such a fine point on your question that enough specific detail would have to be supplied to do a heat-loss analysis... it's just too complex to guess.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mincus
My experience is that the heat pump can keep up down to around 17-20. Is it too hard on my heat pump to run it at those temps, or as long as it is keeping up, am I alright?
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There's been a lot of improvement in heat pumps recently, and most of those improvements have been applied to mini-splits. That HVAC guy may only have experience with whole-house heat pumps, which are lagging behind the technology curve. So, you are right.
However, it is possible that it could get too cold outside for your heat pump to keep up. Any commercial heat pump I know of will shut itself down when this point is reached.
Air source heat pumps are great, but the huge irony is that when it gets really, really cold and you absolutely need that extra heat, they have less heat to offer. This is when and axillary heat source comes in to use.
I don't know if having a cold morning kitchen is a problem for you, but if you could easily close it off from the rest of the house-space, and run a small direct-vent gas heater for the morning only, would be a great solution. Perhaps better than keeping your whole house warm all night with your ASHP.
-AC_Hacker