My first post here. Lets talk about HEAT PUMPS. We live in a northern part of the country and will soon be seeing....

[usaf-vet]

.... real cold temperatures. For the better part of October, we have been seeing overnight temperatures in the 40s, with some dipping into the upper thirties, requiring a morning housewarming.

It was time to upgrade our 1987 vintage natural gas furnace five years ago. I know how old it was because I installed it myself.
Thanks to the uncles who were in the trades for teaching me the skills.
A lot has changed since 1987, so this time, it was going to be a different story. It was time to consult with HVAC contractors.

HEAT PUMPS If you are considering a new HVAC (heating/cooling AC), do yourself a favor and investigate HEAT PUMPS.

I am bringing this topic up this morning because I woke up to see that the heat coming from our forced hot air vents was 121.7 degrees.

That immediately told me it was colder than 30 degrees outside. It was 27 degrees.

Our heat pump is set to extract heat from the outside temperatures down to 30 degrees F. Below 30 degrees F, the furnace will use natural gas to heat the house. Note: in the time it took me to write this post, it warmed up to above 30, so now the heat is extracted heat. No gas expense just electricity costs.

So, from the latter part of September through today, 11/9/2024, we have not used natural gas, just extracted heat.

Unfortunately, the uncles are gone, so I had to rely on the HVAC contractor to explain how that works. It's confusing, yes, but it does work.
Here is one of the best explanations I found.

All things considered, we are saving ~ $ $900-$1000 / year. In our regions, the entire new system (indoor and outdoor equipment) costs $9000, so our payback is less than nine years.

But here is the really good part: we got almost $3000 in tax credits and a $950.00 check from the local gas company.

Consider it. We are glad we did. The cost and tax credits will change depending on where you live, and sadly, for DUers who is running the government.

[Easterncedar]

1. Thanks

Several folks i know have them, but results have been mixed. The ducted versus minisplits question is a tough one. My 1890 house is a collection of small rooms heated by forced hot air from an oil furnace. I would love to get rid of the oil, but it seems not practical yet.

Anyway. Good information. Thanks for posting.

[usaf-vet]

2. You bet. Good luck. The forced hot air is a positive in your case.

[patphil]

3. I switched over to a heat pump style AC unit when my old central AC failed.

I have a 2 story house, and the way the returns are set up, all the hot air migrates up the back stairwell and circulates. The result is that the upstairs bedrooms get much warmer than the rest of the house, even with the vents in the rooms closed.
I can have 69 degrees downstairs where the AC thermostat is, and it gets as warm as 76 degrees upstairs.
Fortunately, I had already replaced my old furnace a year earlier with an extremely efficient gas one that doesn't use the same duct work as the AC. I have in floor hot water, and it works great. So, I rarely use the heat pump option on my central AC.
My situation is unique; heat pumps should work quite well in most applications.

[travelingthrulife]

4. Had a dual fuel heat pump installed this year. Seems to run a lot less than old heater

Have not used the gas yet, just electricity.

[womanofthehills]

5. If you live somewhere with lots of sun

Like here in NM - passive & active solar is great too. My whole south side is windows- 2 stories of windows. It’s real feel 33 degrees right now & my house is so warm from sun alone -80 degrees inside. I also have solar panels connected to grid so I also can use small elec heaters at night. In my bathroom, I have a south wall of 5’ tall clear plastic barrels filled with blue dye as a heat sink.