Heat Pumps
- Thread starter Stosh
- Start date
spring fever
Well-Known Member
Well-I have my amour on so here goes. I don't care for heat pumps-I put them into the last 2 new houses we built -they worked fine I guess especially liked them in the summer for their ability to be an air conditioner . My beef is I never liked the heat they produced. We usually switch off our heat source at night as we both like a cool house to sleep in but the house is quite cool in the morning-turn on the heat---right?? But that is not how a heat pump works there is no rush of warm air up the vents but rather air that is one or 2 degrees above what you have. It works very slowly and is meant to maintain within 1 or 2 degrees of what you wish. It doesn't work well with large and quick temp change requirements In addition using electricity for heat and hot water will also certainly put you in the higher cost structure on your hydro bill. If everyone switches to heat pumps and e-cars has hydro got the infrastructure to support that? I live right on the water now so fans are fine for cooling so went with hi-efficiency gas-like the cost and type of heat and don't miss my heat pump at all!!
Fixit
Well-Known Member
I agree. Cool house at night to sleep in, the the roar of a natural gas furnace to warm it up at 6 am is what I prefer, plus fond memories of warming cold feet while standing on the floor vent. However I am putting in a 4zone heat pump because it will cost me 10000$ less that a furnace with an air conditioner. (My house was all baseboard so have to install new ducting)
there’s something to be said about the heat of natural gas or a wood stove but didn’t work out for me
Stosh
Well-Known Member
Thanks for sharing your honest opinion. With all the available grants it will be difficult for most of us to stay with gas.
It seems that most people are of the opinion that heat pumps are the way to go. Eventually, without comparisons, heat pumps will probably become standard equipment.
My 2 cents
Bryan Allen
Well-Known Member
I have had a Carrier commercial model ( roof top 15 seer , approx 28.000 btu cooling and 27000 heating ) Sits on a slab on the side of the house.. only problem we have had in 14 years is a bunch of racoons moved into the crawl space because it was nice and warm. Cost $1200 to replace the squashed heat ducts pipes. Rarely when we get an extended power outage I wish I had a Generac instead of the two gas powered gensets that dont have enough output to run the heat pump. When it was busting 39C this past summer, the heat pump kept us comfortable .
wolf
Well-Known Member
thats balmy try what we hit 45 and yes agree heating isnt great but the air part im all down on that. we heat with a wood stove in winter and NOTHING beats that !!!!! the primary reason was for the summer air, trust me happy wife happy life. when you have a 50s something wife you old guys know what I mean!!!! LOL
Rain City
Crew Member
I agree with you on the need for more control. I have had radiant in my house and I've found the smart thermostats really helped. I have the Nest ones. I can program temps down to the minute in each of the four zones. It learns how your equipment swings the temps which is especially important with radiant because you end up having too much carryover with the thick hot slab. 65 at bedtime then 70 at 5AM and I come down the stairs with bare feet to a toasty warm floor. These systems will be obsolete in new construction soon though. Overheating is a huge issue with our higher performance homes.
Sea Chaser
Crew Member
I would never put in a heat pump. Power consumption goes through the roof in summer when I use my AC . Gas is cheaper to heat my home in the winter.
sly_karma
Crew Member
We do full home renovations reasonably often, and I typically have to talk owners down from having a super duper high efficiency furnace at top of their list. Almost always there are new windows and exterior finishes on the list, so a layer of exterior insulation is a no brainer. That greatly improved building envelope pushes size and priority of HVAC system well down the list. Do the calcs with the new envelope in mind and hey presto, you've gone from a 4 ton unit to 2 or 2.5 ton.
Rain City
Crew Member
Or in the case of our Net Zero home's you can just invite me over and start talking about Trudeau. Presto, house is hot.
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sly_karma
Crew Member
Yeah that name has that affect! In the older houses you would need say a dinner party of 6-8 people ranting about Ottawa and its occupants to keep things warm. Now with a step 4 or 5 home, just one old guy shouting at the CBC news on TV can heat the place quite easily. That's measurable progress that anyone can understand.
Drink
Well-Known Member
20 years ago the wife retired and over my dead body had a heat pump installed to co-exist with out High Efficiency furnace. Initially when electricity was less expensive than NGas the heat pump was more economical and was efficient up to -1 in the winter here on the mainland. As time went on she now just shuts down the pump in the winter and uses the furnace. I personally still have nothing to do with this pump out of spite but I do admit having to wear a summer sweater in my man cave. She has it serviced religiously every year as it keeps on ticking but eventually when it packs it in we will move to an A/C unit.
Bryan Allen
Well-Known Member
Never, ever, ever going to get rid of my heat pump ! 
It makes life livable during the summer .... Screw the cost !! I deserve it ! I am old and I dont care if I single handedly put BC Hydro into their profit mode !
It makes life livable during the summer .... Screw the cost !! I deserve it ! I am old and I dont care if I single handedly put BC Hydro into their profit mode !
