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Hey everyone. First time using city-data.com but I have been reading the forums for years. Anyways, I am in need of a new heating system. I bought a house back in February with an oil heater from the early 60s (or in other words old, decrepit, and disturbingly inefficient). I have a couple questions: 1) Will a heat pump with electric backup be sufficient or do you think I will need a fossil fuel based backup system (gas, propane etc.) While the house is old, the attic is surprisingly well insulated with about a foot of insulation. The home is about 1200 sq ft, with older windows but double pane nonetheless. 2) Got a quote from a local (bigger name) company for $8,900 turn key install (have to have new ductwork). The unit is a Goodman which I know is a cheaper brand. They have listed the ductwork portion to cost about $3,600. Does this sound reasonable? It is the cheapest quote I have received, other two quotes came from Home Depot and Lowes. However the HD quote included a Rheem system with pretty much everything else the same and it was only $300 more. Also HD quote included upgrading my electrical box to 200 amps. I have 150 amp and the upgrade isn't needed for the $8,900 quote. Just the amp upgrade alone is around 1K from what I have read. Does that mean the $8,900 quote guy is ripping me off? Thanks for any advice.
You'd be better off with gas or propane, imo. That said, what size unit and what SEER rating were you quoted? I just had a 2 ton, 14 SEER Goodman installed for $3,700 (no ductwork, of course) here on the coast. I assume your quote was for a 2.5 ton? If so, $8,900 seems high, but maybe there is a lot of regional variation.
The quality of the installer is more important than the quality of the equipment.
Sorry forgot to post this. 2.5 ton unit, 14 SEER, 8.2 HSPF. They have the system (without ductwork) portion listed at $6,000. I think about $900 of that is running electrical to the unit since obviously there is no line currently. Why do you think propane or gas would be better? Do you think the backup electric heat will be running the whole time? I have a wood burning fireplace that I use frequently, however I know fireplaces are pretty inefficient at heating.
One of the reasons I wanted a heat pump is for the AC. The house has none and gets bloody hot in the summer! 4 big windows in front great room, no trees and is on a hill that faces the setting sun. Getting a dual system will be considerably more expensive right?
One of the reasons I wanted a heat pump is for the AC. The house has none and gets bloody hot in the summer! 4 big windows in front great room, no trees and is on a hill that faces the setting sun. Getting a dual system will be considerably more expensive right?
I just like gas heat a lot more...its "warmer" and cheaper (with natural gas, propane will probably be a wash, at least right now) I don't know if a combo would be more, I assume it would.
The price for the 2.5 ton unit seems high to me, but maybe someone with more local experince can chime in.
I would call a few more local, reputable companies and get more estimates. It is amazing what a range the pricing can come as. I would also stay away from having a box store company do the work. I have seen a couple of their roofing jobs and couldn't believe that that is what they considered a good job. Angies List is actually a good source for getting ratings and feedback for different types of professionals, at least in my experience.
I would call a few more local, reputable companies and get more estimates. It is amazing what a range the pricing can come as. I would also stay away from having a box store company do the work. I have seen a couple of their roofing jobs and couldn't believe that that is what they considered a good job. Angies List is actually a good source for getting ratings and feedback for different types of professionals, at least in my experience.
The current quote I have is from a company on Angie's List. I think they won some kind of Angies List award for 2014. So Angie's List, in your opinion, is pretty reliable?
I would call a few more local, reputable companies and get more estimates. It is amazing what a range the pricing can come as. I would also stay away from having a box store company do the work. I have seen a couple of their roofing jobs and couldn't believe that that is what they considered a good job.
^^^This^^^
Box stores uses subs, so you have no control over who you are actually dealing with.
If you do not have an existing AC system with ductwork, your house will need to be evaluated to determine what tonnage is required and what kind of ductwork is needed. These evaluations have to be done by a trained professional using data gained on site. They can not be done properly simply off the square footage of the house due to environmental and house envelope factors, such as sun orientation, number and size of windows, etc.
The evaluations are know as a Manual J and a Manual D. I strongly suggest you read up on them to get an idea of what and how they should be done. There are plenty of Internet resources.
You can even do your own calculations using free software from UCLA. I ran this program when we built the house I am currently living in. It turned out to be spot on.
The current quote I have is from a company on Angie's List. I think they won some kind of Angies List award for 2014. So Angie's List, in your opinion, is pretty reliable?
As long as there are enough favorable reviews by other customers, yes, it has served me well. I still get as many estimates as I can, however, and also check with the BBB to see if there is a rating or complaints with them for that company. I have had some crazy experiences with hiring people to do various jobs, too many of which I needed to undo and redo because of the unbelievably poor workmanship or just wrong installation, etc., or had to fix or clean things up afterwards, again because of sloppy or careless workmanship. I would be especially careful with a job like yours that requires more knowledge and expertise than the average job.
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. Getting a dual system will be considerably more expensive right?
