Anyone Elses Heat Pump Not Working? (houses, construction, cost)

[VickiR]

Originally Posted by zthatzmanz28

I am confused.

If I set my thermostat to 65 and it is 60 in the house, shouldn't the heat (fan) come on and raise the temp to 65?

The air coming out of the vents (with a heat pump) feels cool to your hand but when the heat strips or auxillary heat comes on, it will feel hot to your hand. When we had a heat pump, I could always feel when the heat strips were running versus when the heat pump was running without the heat strips.

SF...I know a little bit about a lot of things and HVAC falls under that category!

Vicki

[TabbyCats]

So, in this area, what would you choose for heating/cooling (for a new build)? We came from the midwest (and we have no experience with heat pumps).

The house will be 2 stories, 3485 sf, plus unfinished basement. We will have gas lines at the house.

Thanks!

[VickiR]

I've had both...heat pumps AND natural gas.

With that much sq. footage, make sure you have more than one unit, so that you can control the heat/air on each floor. I'd probably go with natural gas.

Vicki

[MikeJaquish]

Originally Posted by TabbyCats

So, in this area, what would you choose for heating/cooling (for a new build)? We came from the midwest (and we have no experience with heat pumps).

The house will be 2 stories, 3485 sf, plus unfinished basement. We will have gas lines at the house.

Thanks!

Definitely would consider 2 zones with heat pumps, with gas for auxiliary. No heat strips.

"Dual Fuel."
I have it downstairs here for 6 years and think the dual fuel option addresses economy, efficiency, and comfort.
You can set the heat pumps to heat for nearly free, when temps require heat, but not a huge amount of heat. Let the gas kick on when it is colder and efficiency of the heat pumps declines.
You will invest a little more upfront, with great payoff in comfort and savings.

And I would think a separate, 3rd, unit for the basement would be a good plan.

[sacredgrooves]

The last few years I have seen a setup with a gas furnace for the 1st floor and heat pump on the 2nd on many new houses. Since heat rises, it can make up any shortcomings of the heat pump. Somewhere in that equation may also be more profit for builders though lol.
In this sub-freezing stretch there is very little heat in the outside air for the heat pump to pull from. (heat pumps operate by extracting heat from outside air and pumping it into your house in heating mode, and removes heat from inside air during cooling mode). It is natural for the air from your vents to feel cool as it is typically well below your body temperature. You do want to verify your heat strips are working though. Turn the thermostat settings to "emergency heat". A red light should appear and the only air coming from your vents will then be heat strip heated air. If the air is cooler than 90 degrees or so, consult an HVAC tech.

[TabbyCats]

Hmm......that sounds familiar. I just pulled the specs that the builder, I guess, typically uses in this case and it says "13 SEER gas furnace 1st floor down and 13 SEER heat pump up".

Sounds like Mike's "dual fuel" and what Sacredgrooves says builders are doing now.

Our last house had gas heat. I think it was a 12 SEER HVAC (built '98). Central IL. We could get as warm as we wanted in COOOOOLD winters, AND we could keep it as cool as we liked in the hottest part of summer. Even though summers there are nothing compared to here, we could still have a long stretch of 90+ days. Our unit seemed quit proficient at keeping us as cool as we wanted while our neighbors' units ran constantly. The house was 2 stories with a finished basement for a total of 3800 sf with only the 1 unit to do it all.

I just want to get it right on this house, too.
Thanks for your help!
Tabby

[bobbis]

I've been in my house for six years now. I have two separate electric heat pimp/AC systems that have been maintained and serviced every year. I HATE THEM!!!! They can't make good heat when it's below 36 or so degrees....so the electric strips come on and my electric bill goes through the roof. This is with the thermostat set to around 72 degrees. Yes, my windows are good and not letting cold in, so that's not the problem. I understand these are 12 year old Goodman systems, probably not the best....but to update both at around 5k each installed.....not in my budget anytime soon. Not a big fan of this type of system.

[VickiR]

Originally Posted by bobbis

I've been in my house for six years now. I have two separate electric heat pimp/AC systems that have been maintained and serviced every year. I HATE THEM!!!! They can't make good heat when it's below 36 or so degrees....so the electric strips come on and my electric bill goes through the roof. This is with the thermostat set to around 72 degrees. Yes, my windows are good and not letting cold in, so that's not the problem. I understand these are 12 year old Goodman systems, probably not the best....but to update both at around 5k each installed.....not in my budget anytime soon. Not a big fan of this type of system.

My last house (20 years ago) had heat pumps and we really liked them. It seems that our weather in this area has changed. With our temps getting colder than usual in the winter, having a heat pump doesn't make sense to me BUT I have heard that when gas went up in price, running the heat pump even with the heat strips is less expensive. Are you finding that is the case or not?

I tend to be hot natured so when the gas heat comes on...it seems stifling to me. I used to enjoy the air of the heat pump since it wasn't so hot. But I know people that are more cold natured really enjoy that hot air coming from the gas heat.

It seems to me if natural gas is in the area, more builders will use gas heat. however, if there isn't gas in the area, more will use heat pumps versus propane.

Vicki

[frankpc]

Vicki makes a good point about gas heat options... While all fuel prices are volatile these days its important to remember that natural gas is regulated and propane is not. I'd think long and hard before installing propane as a primary heat source but natural gas is a no brainer if available.

Frank

[adlnc07]

I'd take gas heat over a heat pump any day.. heat pumps are great for A/C and mild weather, but I didn't like them at all in winter. The technology has gotten better, and the last one I had back in Virginia was a big improvement over previous ones, but I was still very glad to find gas heat in both houses I bought down here. I like the idea of dual fuel, so possibly I will check into that option when I replace my HVAC this year.