Question:
:> Look into window mounted Heat Pumps. :> : :I didn’t think heat pumps were a good option in this cold of a climate. Is :this wrong? Look into ground source heat pumps.
Response:
> > Look into window mounted Heat Pumps. > I didn’t think heat pumps were a good option in this cold of a climate. Is > this wrong?
It’s a complicated subject, and few understand it well. There are the following things to consider: 1) air-source, geothermal-source or water-source. (Where the external heat exchange system is) 2) Heat pump efficiency drops as the temperature of exchange system goes down. At some point the system has to switch to backup heat. When the heat exchanger temperature drops below freezing, a HP switches to backup heat. If the backup heat is electric (which many of them are down south), then, in essence, the HP simply turns into an electric furnace – with the electric furnace’s efficiency. Which sucks of course. However, the backup heat could be gas, oil or even wood. And secondly, if the backup was on all the time, why did you waste money on a HP? Rule #1 is: A heat pump’s worst case cost-to-run is the cost-to-run of the backup heat. Corollary: but it will be far better as long as the backup doesn’t come on. Obviously, if the exchanger is air-source, it will switch to backup heat when the outside air temp drops below freezing. However, if the exchanger is ground-source, the system will not switch to backup until the ground (to that depth) freezes. If the exchanger is water source (particularly deep well), since the water cannot freeze, the HP will never switch to backup. Rule #2 is: choose the exchanger type to match your climate. Corrollary: If the air temperature is never above freezing, an air-source heat pump is stupid. But a water source will be fine. If you can’t "do" gas or oil, an air-source/electric-backup HP is cheaper than pure electric heat. Even in colder climates (like Canada), an air-source HP can do considerably better than non-HP, _provided_ you choose the right backup. In Canada, electric backup for an air-source is not a very good idea (if gas is available). But air-source with gas backup works great. — For more information on spam, see http://spam.abuse.net/spam Fight spam, support Rep. Chris Smith’s TCPA extension: http://www.cauce.org It’s not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.
Response:
We are looking for a two family home, and have found one that is pretty close to what we want. The biggest drawback to it is it has electric heat. There is no natural gas lines in that area, and no plans to run gas lines there. I am unsure how much value to place on this. The electric budget now runs $171 year round. The house is in Upstate New York, so heat is not optional. What is the best way to get estimates for a heating system when I don’t own the place? What do the wise members of this forum think? Tracy
Response:
> We are looking for a two family home, and have found one that is pretty close > to what we want. The biggest drawback to it is it has electric heat. There > is no natural gas lines in that area, and no plans to run gas lines there. I > am unsure how much value to place on this. The electric budget now runs $171 > year round. The house is in Upstate New York, so heat is not optional. What > is the best way to get estimates for a heating system when I don’t own the > place? What do the wise members of this forum think? > Tracy
If the owners want to sell, they’ll have no problem granting access to an HVAC contractor. Mark Atanowicz "Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement."
Response:
Any guess as to what range I may be looking at? This is ~1800 square feet (probably 1400 on the tenent side) with no existing ductwork. Would it be worth it?
Response:
Look into window mounted Heat Pumps. The Senate Sucks!
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->We are looking for a two family home, and have found one that is pretty close >to what we want. The biggest drawback to it is it has electric heat. There >is no natural gas lines in that area, and no plans to run gas lines there. I >am unsure how much value to place on this. The electric budget now runs $171 >year round. The house is in Upstate New York, so heat is not optional. What >is the best way to get estimates for a heating system when I don’t own the >place? What do the wise members of this forum think? >Tracy
Response:
> Look into window mounted Heat Pumps.
I didn’t think heat pumps were a good option in this cold of a climate. Is this wrong?
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