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Originally Posted by theoldwizard1;41673...I still think any one north of the 40th parallel can not rely on an air-sourced heat pump as their [U
primary[/U] heat source 12 months a year. Either it has to be ground-sourced or have an alternative heat source for 3-4 months of the year.
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I'm a total GSHP advocate and I am grudgingly using a mini-split while my GSHP project creeps forward. But...
With all due respect Old Wizard, your statement could be out of date.
I think your estimate if Mini-Split performance is still based on performance of 1st Gen ASHP.
The Asians have done their homework. There has been a quantum leap.
These things can deliver useful heat down to 5 F.
There have been extensive discussions on EcoRenovator over the last 4 or 5 years on the topic of Mini-Splits, with performance reports from users all over the country.
Backup heat is always a good idea, but mini-splits are quite amazing, and more capable than you might think.
Also, if you do a bit of research, you will find, as I did, that there is a drop-off in performance of multi-head units. The more heads, the lower the COP.
Better to go with discrete units, if efficiency is a concern.
-AC