Switching from HVAC system to heat pump
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Anonymous
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We’ve had it with Washington Gas. For the last handful of years, we have lost our gas for a handful of days during the winter. They recently updated our lines (Project Pipes) and how not enough gas gets through to properly warm up our house. Not to mention the gas explosions the last few days.
We are looking into switching to a heat pump. Any recommendations on contractors we should consider? Other considerations? |
Anonymous
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We used Hecox to replace our AC with a heat pump and replace our old gas furnace (we wanted dual fuel for a variety of reasons). We had a great experience with them.
Cold Comfort HVAC is another contractor we got competitive quotes from for a heat pump. |
Anonymous
| We used Davis and Davis and they did a great job, but we were switching from oil in our new house. I wouldn’t have done it if our house had had a gas connection. Our winter utility bills are much higher than with gas at our old house. |
Anonymous
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My parents have a newish heat pump in the Cleveland area. Their neighborhood is from the 1970s and doesn't have gas service because of gas prices being high then.
It's been a real PITA. Operating cost higher than projected. Some repairs needed. I would want to hear from a neighbor with a similar house that they were pleased with their system before investing. |
Anonymous
I am the above PP. Adding some considerations about heat pumps: 1. As the PPs have said the math often doesn't work in your favor when compared to natural gas. You can get a very expensive very efficient heat pump that depending on your house (insulation, quality of ductwork) may work well and not generate super costly bills in the winter. But it can just as easily increase your utility bills. I definitely recommend listening to the contractors about what they recommend for your specific home. 2. Sizing matters. In the mid Atlantic, heating loads are much higher than cooling loads. That means you need a larger capacity to heat your home than to cool it. However, as you know summers are very hot and humid so you want good AC. If you want a heat pump that will serve as your heating and AC, you will need to oversize it for summer in order to properly size it for winter. If you have an oversized system in the summer, that will make your house less comfortable and more humid than it would otherwise be. This is because in the summer it shut on and off a lot instead of running for longer. This issue can be minimized by getting a variable stage heat pump which can run at different levels (so it doesn't always have to go full blast), but even so it will still be less efficient and less comfortable in the summer than the same system but properly sized. So you'll be paying for a more expensive variable stage system but not getting all the benefits of it in the summer. This is less of an issue in places like Maine where the summers are not quite as oppressive. 3. Your gas furnace has a blower motor that circulates the air in your house. The blower motor works in the winter and the summer, serving as the air handler for your AC in the summer. If you decide to convert fully to a heat pump and not have a furnace, you have to get a dedicated air handler for the heat pump (that will be included in the quotes the contractors give you). You may also need to get electrical work done to make the heat pump work without the furnace (not sure I understand why but this is what was explained to me). For these reasons the up front costs of switching to a heat pump will very possibly be higher than getting a heat pump and a new furnace. |
Anonymous
I had a friend who had an AMC Pacer back in the 70's. It was a terrible car, noisy, sluggish, terrible mileage and it started falling apart almost the day they brought it home. That experience has convinced me to stay away from automobiles. A poorly installed heat pump is going to work poorly. A well installed heat pump will work well. |
Anonymous
| I just walked past one that was incredibly loud. You need to do your research and get the right one, installed properly. |
Anonymous
Define well-installed Does that mean that if the house wasn't suitable for a heat pump they tore down the drywall to put in better ductwork and insulation? |
Anonymous
If the ductwork is undersized, a proper installation would mean up sizing the ductwork. In an existing house that can be disruptive. |
Anonymous
And extremely expensive And for all expense your utility bills might go down by $100 annually compared with natural gas. At best (if you get one of the most efficient heat pumps (also $$$)) |
Anonymous
| Good luck, OP. I would not be that brave. |
Anonymous
| Don’t do it. My utility bills are atrocious. |
Anonymous
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Be prepared for high electric bills due to heating. Heat pumps are expensive to operate and maintain a decent temperature. The thing will run all day even if you maintain a low temp around 65 to 68. It running all day because of the current low temps will result in high electric bills (be prepared for double what you currently pay for gas an electric).
Gas is cheap. My home woth a heat pump, great insulation and upgraded windows has twice the operating costs of my house with gas when I look at the cost of gas plus electricity. People will tell you a heat pump is efficient but disregard the high cost especially in low temp climates. |
Anonymous
The heat pump is less than 10 years old. The point about the 1970s neighborhood is that they are kind of stuck with electric options because they don't have gas line service and it's expensive to arrange for it. The heat pump required repairs in its early warranty period. There has been more fuss about this newish heating system than any prior house/furnace combo in my family. It sticks out as a technology with issues. |
Anonymous
| Sounds pretty stupid. |