Time for Central Air. Should i buy a heat pump instead.

[SimpleManLance]

Originally Posted by NiHaoMike

Since the house didn't already have A/C, I presume that's just "nice to have" and not truly required. If it doesn't get too humid in the summer, a simple evaporative cooler will do.

We have been running window shakers(3) for the last 3 years in separate rooms. one in our bedroom, one in our sons and one in our tv room. It would be nice to have it everywhere on the really humid days. it wont be something that will be ran all the time unless it is needed.

[Elcam84]

I like minisplits but they aren't a replacement for a ducted system. Even in our 1700sf house it is impractical. It would take 9 zones to get all areas adequate cooling/heating. They are much better for add on rooms or other unique situations. They are also nice for like our living room where most of our time is spent inside and with several computers and monitors adding lots of heat and used for movies with curtians blocking off the halls having it's own minisplit is great.

Those prices are right in where I priced them last. Never used much Bryant stuff though our house has one that will be replaced when the other projects get done.

Like I said I think you are better off sticking with the cool only and putting the extra towards insulation and air sealing. 1K can do allot of insulation.

[jeff5may]

The main question here is: what are your long-term plans or needs? If you don't splurge and get a cooling-only unit, will you be spending any of the money on extra insulation? Would you rather chop wood or spend money to heat your house?

Regarding the heat pump option vs. gas vs. wood, it would be fairly simple to integrate the heat pump with the gas as a backup. If your buddy installs units in the area, he should know whether or not to install a low ambient switch and at what temperature it is cheaper to run gas for his units. Sure, a heat pump will put out heat down to zero, but efficiency drops below freezing pretty fast. During cold spells, you could load up the buck stove and run it to level out your utility bill(s). The heat pump shouldn't be sized large enough to keep up on the coldest days anyway.

Another thing to consider is the desuperheater/hot water option. IMHO, this is something that will save you money for the life of the unit. Depending on your hot water usage, the savings could be substantial.

[SimpleManLance]

Originally Posted by jeff5may

The main question here is: what are your long-term plans or needs? If you don't splurge and get a cooling-only unit, will you be spending any of the money on extra insulation? Would you rather chop wood or spend money to heat your house?

I wont be spending it right now on extra insulation. i guess it would be going towards air sealing the house more. I know the basement/crawl spaces need their leaks sealed up which would include some insulation too.
I plan on doing both, paying for gas and chopping wood. My wife and i like to be warm in the winter(74*+). i wouldn't be able to afford the gas bill to keep us that warm so i use wood which does the trick. keeps us warmer then gas ever could and saves me money on a gas bill. I turn off the gas valve to the furnace in the winter.

Regarding the heat pump option vs. gas vs. wood, it would be fairly simple to integrate the heat pump with the gas as a backup. If your buddy installs units in the area, he should know whether or not to install a low ambient switch and at what temperature it is cheaper to run gas for his units. Sure, a heat pump will put out heat down to zero, but efficiency drops below freezing pretty fast. During cold spells, you could load up the buck stove and run it to level out your utility bill(s). The heat pump shouldn't be sized large enough to keep up on the coldest days anyway.

my buddy does commercial heating a cooling. a lot of boilers and ACs. he said he has done a couple heat pumps but he is no expert. the plan would be to back it up with the gas furnace then once it got to cold out switch to wood.

Another thing to consider is the desuperheater/hot water option. IMHO, this is something that will save you money for the life of the unit. Depending on your hot water usage, the savings could be substantial.

Im not familiar with a hot water heating option on central heating/cooling heat pumps. I have seen the A7 thread and im pretty impressed with its results.

[AC_Hacker]

Originally Posted by SimpleManLance

...My wife and i like to be warm in the winter(74*+). i wouldn't be able to afford the gas bill to keep us that warm so i use wood which does the trick.

There's a problem right here for heat pumps... it would be difficult and expensive for a heat pump to keep all of the air in your house at this temperature.

There is a dandy FUEL COMPARISON CALCULATOR that may help you sort some of this stuff out.

But overall, it sounds like you have a pretty big house that isn't very well insulated, and likely to stay that way... and it is pretty leaky, and likely to stay that way... and you want your house to be really warm for really cheap and you are getting tired of chopping wood. Right?

Have you considered a pellet stove? They can put out massive heat and the last time I checked, the price of pellets puts them in a position of cost effectiveness that may be superior to many heat pumps.

If you want to go pellet stove, right now is the best time to find a good big used one, and to stock up on a winter supply of pellets.

(* I never thought I'd give this kind of advice, because I am very positive about heat pumps... in your case though pellets may be the best alternative. *)

-AC

[jeff5may]

Considering your strategy thus far, I believe your money would be best spent on an energy audit and a smallish central air unit. Before you start sealing and/or insulating, call your local utility companies to see if they have any programs in place that give out incentives or services to determine your heat load and reduce it. Most utility companies will start you in the right direction for free. Also, they may pay you to install an energy-efficient air source unit or smart disconnect box.

Since your heating demand is most likely 10 times your cooling demand and your house bleeds heat, a heat pump unit would need to be much larger capacity than a straight cooling unit. Also, with winter temperatures well below freezing for days on end, you would need a ground or water source heat pump to maintain high energy efficiency year-round. An air source unit would be continually defrosting all winter long, wasting electricity.

The water heating option works basically the same as the Airtap unit, but it converts waste energy from the outdoor unit into domestic hot water. It isn't thermostat controlled, it scavenges heat into your domestic supply line when the unit runs during normal heating or cooling operation. Naturally, a heat pump unit will produce more hot water, since it runs year-round. A desuperheater is usually not even an option on straight cooling units.

[SimpleManLance]

Originally Posted by AC_Hacker

There's a problem right here for heat pumps... it would be difficult and expensive for a heat pump to keep all of the air in your house at this temperature.

There is a dandy FUEL COMPARISON CALCULATOR that may help you sort some of this stuff out.

But overall, it sounds like you have a pretty big house that isn't very well insulated, and likely to stay that way... and it is pretty leaky, and likely to stay that way... and you want your house to be really warm for really cheap and you are getting tired of chopping wood. Right?

Have you considered a pellet stove? They can put out massive heat and the last time I checked, the price of pellets puts them in a position of cost effectiveness that may be superior to many heat pumps.

If you want to go pellet stove, right now is the best time to find a good big used one, and to stock up on a winter supply of pellets.

(* I never thought I'd give this kind of advice, because I am very positive about heat pumps... in your case though pellets may be the best alternative. *)

-AC

I was planning on using the heat pump as my fall/early winter heater. Then as the temps dropped to low to make heat, turn on the gas furnace or start the wood furnace.

I don't mind chopping wood, but i would like to not need as much. hopefully it will be because the house is getting sealed up better. I'm not getting any younger

A pellet stove would be nice and convenient. However i hate spending money on natural gas to heat the house right now. spending it on pellets wouldnt be much different.

I ended up going with the central air unit instead of the heat pump. I will put that extra money into sealing up the house some. I'm hoping i can get to making one of these this week while im on shutdown from work. A DIY Blower Door -- Easy to Build -- Easy to Use -- Cheap