Is it worth is to buy a heat pump for a new furnance/air conditioning unit in Michigan?
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I doubt it considering the daily temp extremes in MI but I'm no HVAC guy.
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"Thank goodness for the Democrats! If you are terminally unemployable, enjoy living off of govt welfare and feel you owe society nothing you're in luck: there is a donkey waiting for you."
The new coolant is effective down to about 20F. Below that, you'll be on what ever your backup is.
How much do you A/C?
View Image
Actually, both R22 and R410A (no chlorine atoms) will work in HP down to below -5F, and will probably be cheaper than gas even at that tem, depending on your rates. The 20 F number comes from the fact that the HP total BTU ooutput capability does drop with temp, so you may need to run gas below where your HP cannot heat the house.
One very easy way to do this is to have a separate t-stat on HP and furnance, set furnace 2F lower, it will come on if the HP cannot keep up, but the heat pump will stay on all the time. For best $$ savings, as said before, do not install any resistance heating coils, they just eat $$. Withthe 2 t-stat setup, during HP defrost (outside coils do and can ice up in high humidity conditions) let heat be pulled back out of the house (HP runs in AC mode for a few minutes).
Also as said, spend $$ first on insulation and infiltration control.
Yeah, I knew all that but didn't feel like typing that much. Thanks.View Image
Welcome to BT, gbel.
Are you going to do a DIY install in one weekend or hire it done?
No question about it, if DIY install a HP, payback will be 3 years or less for TOTAL cost, some installations will set you back nearly $10 K and takes a long time to amortize that with energy savings.
Did 4T HP in central IL for Mom (no furnace, all HP), payback was less than 2 years, once poco rebates were included.
Even with a high priced $10K or so install, the differential between a a/c + furnace and HP + furnace is worth it, as HP differential from just A/C should be under 1K. Only difference in hardware is that the HP includes a reversing valve - DO NOT buy any elec heat coils as add on to HP, waste of $$ if you also have a furnace.
probably not ... too cold in the winter ... it would use backup heat too much to justify the additional expense ... unless you go to ground source heat pump system ... then it would be great for heating and cooling.
You might want to look into mini-split inverter heat pumps. There was a few posts by Dave Yates in the middle of a long discussion here:
http://forums.invision.net/Thread.cfm?CFApp=2&Thread_ID=58744&mc=43
The air conditioning mode has a SEER of 21, which is remarkably high efficiency, and 11-HSPF, but I don't know what HSPF is.
Also mentioned was the Acadia heat pump. Their web site http://www.gotohallowell.com/acadiafaq.html says: "However, the Acadia™ can. Using our patented Opti-Cycle™ Technology, the Acadia™ can maintain efficient comfort at outdoor temperatures as low as -30°F.
No.
No, just a plain NO??
You would be right if somebody asked if they should buy stock last week, but for this thread, just plain no is a weak answer.
What kind of engineer would give that type answer<G>?
"What kind of engineer would give that type answer<G>?" One pressed for time.
I knew that knowledgeable folks like yourself and others would explain the details....
I though last week would have been a great time to buy, with prices so low. Bad time to sell, though that seemed to be the trend. If I were I financial wizard, I wouldn't be sitting at a desk in Madison right now.
I'm not involved in residential systems beyond my own, but with the exception of ground source systems, given the relatives costs of electricity and NG in my immediate area, I have always steered customers away from heat pumps. The numbers simply don't work out in your favor.
Edited 10/9/2008 8:28 am by Tim