Electric heat? (Orono, Houlton, Camden: apartment complex, houses, dorms)

[Soup Nazi]

I have a friend who is looking at a senior apartment complex in Camden. The tenants are responsible for their own heat/hot water, which is unusual in these types of places. The heat is electric, and they did just recently install new heat pumps.

I have always been under the impression that electric heat is insanely expensive, and I have never run across it in Vermont. Before even inquiring about the apartment, I would like to know if it should be ruled out based on the heat source alone. I don't even know what a heat pump is!

[retiredtinbender]

Not sure how expensive they are due to the electricity. I am interested in them though. The second video tells how they work: Heat Pumps - Efficiency Maine

[Mark S.]

Another thing to consider: Power losses. Maine is subject to them, especially during ice storms. If your heat is 100% electric, that means you have no heat during an outage. That can be a bit of an adventure for a few hours. But it gets old quick.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by Soup Nazi

I have a friend who is looking at a senior apartment complex in Camden.

I do not know how reliable the electric power is in Camden.

In my area, we normally lose power at least once every month. Some times we expect to lose power three or four times per month.

... The tenants are responsible for their own heat/hot water, which is unusual in these types of places. The heat is electric, and they did just recently install new heat pumps.

I have always been under the impression that electric heat is insanely expensive, and I have never run across it in Vermont. Before even inquiring about the apartment, I would like to know if it should be ruled out based on the heat source alone. I don't even know what a heat pump is!

In Orono, a company from NC threw-up a large apartment complex for State Uni students. It is called 'The Grove'. They were accustomed to using geo-thermal heat-pumps down in NC; and in other Uni dorms that they have built in other states. So they used heat-pumps in Orono.

The Grove has been in the local news a great deal for the past two years. The Grove apartments are not capable of providing as much heat as other heating systems do.

The ground is warmer down in NC, than it is here in Maine. Here in Maine the ground freezes every winter.
There is less heat to be pulled up from the ground here, as compared to NC. It changes the efficiency of the geo-thermal heat-pump systems.

There are a few 'project' houses that have been built in Maine, using geo-thermal heat-pumps. Heat-pumps are marketed a lot, and they have a strong following nationwide.

I have friends who live in one of the project houses here, their home uses geo-thermal as it's source of heat. For their home, it seems to 'work' to hold their living quarters up at around 50F. But not any warmer.



If you come up here at all, there is a local radio station [FM 103.9] that has a talk-show every Saturday from 8am to 10am. It is called: 'Hot and Cold', on that talk-show they discuss heating systems. Geo-thermal heat-pumps are a regular topic on that show. There are many people who are interested in heat-pumps.

The hosts include a home heating systems and insulation expert, and a university physics professor. They routinely have guests on their show that include contractors who market these systems.

I do recommend, that anyone who is interested in learning more about geo-thermal heat-pumps as they are used in Maine, should give a listen to 'Hot and Cold'.

[slyfox2]

Electric heat requires insane insulation, R-60 in the roof, r-45 in the walls ans window coverings with t least R-25.

[in_newengland]

Maybe they're thinking that the heat pump would get the temperature up to 50 and then the electric heat would only have to heat it above that level. So the heat pump would be like a back up source for the electric heat. If this combination does work then a power outage wouldn't be that drastic. You're not going to freeze to death at 50 degrees.

I've never heard of heat pumps in the north though. Well, I did read a good discussion of them somewhere on CD recently, saying that they are not efficient for the north. Electric heat on its own in the north is ridiculous and just about unheard of.

Heat pumps are common in the south where it doesn't get that cold.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Heat pumps are electric heat. Nobody in Maine has ever saved money by attempting to heat a home with a heat pump or heat pumps. Advocates will say, "But it's good for the environment."

No, it isn't in Maine.

[woxyroxme]

Originally Posted by Soup Nazi

I don't even know what a heat pump is!

Originally Posted by in_newengland

Heat pumps are common in the south where it doesn't get that cold.

Yep, my father-in-law has a heat pump for his trailer in the old folks trailer park down in Florida.

Basically a heat pump is a central air unit that can run in reverse, enabling it to heat as well as cool, if it is too cold outside for the heat pump to be effective there is a back up heating element that will kick on but that rarely happens in Florida and that is why they are not used much up north. I have to wonder how many snow birds make their first trip to Florida in the winter wonder why people have their air conditioners running in the cold.

[Kiwiluver]

Originally Posted by Submariner

I do not know how reliable the electric power is in Camden.

In my area, we normally lose power at least once every month. Some times we expect to lose power three or four times per month.





In Orono, a company from NC threw-up a large apartment complex for State Uni students. It is called 'The Grove'. They were accustomed to using geo-thermal heat-pumps down in NC; and in other Uni dorms that they have built in other states. So they used heat-pumps in Orono.

The Grove has been in the local news a great deal for the past two years. The Grove apartments are not capable of providing as much heat as other heating systems do.

The ground is warmer down in NC, than it is here in Maine. Here in Maine the ground freezes every winter.
There is less heat to be pulled up from the ground here, as compared to NC. It changes the efficiency of the geo-thermal heat-pump systems.

There are a few 'project' houses that have been built in Maine, using geo-thermal heat-pumps. Heat-pumps are marketed a lot, and they have a strong following nationwide.

I have friends who live in one of the project houses here, their home uses geo-thermal as it's source of heat. For their home, it seems to 'work' to hold their living quarters up at around 50F. But not any warmer.



If you come up here at all, there is a local radio station [FM 103.9] that has a talk-show every Saturday from 8am to 10am. It is called: 'Hot and Cold', on that talk-show they discuss heating systems. Geo-thermal heat-pumps are a regular topic on that show. There are many people who are interested in heat-pumps.

The hosts include a home heating systems and insulation expert, and a university physics professor. They routinely have guests on their show that include contractors who market these systems.

I do recommend, that anyone who is interested in learning more about geo-thermal heat-pumps as they are used in Maine, should give a listen to 'Hot and Cold'.

Heat pumps don't work all that well here (NC) either brother

[beltrams]

Maine Public Service, now Emera, has been pushing heat pumps with rebates and incentives. Supposedly there are new types of so-called "mini-split" heat pumps that work reasonably well even up here in The County. They are air-to-air and not geothermal in any way. I've seen pictures where they mount the outdoor unit on the side of the house, above the snow. Supposedly they are also being installed in Canada's Atlantic provinces in significant numbers.

http://www.emeramaine.com/energy-solutions/heat-pumps/

Several heating contractors in the Houlton area are pushing them. I myself have not seriously considered buying one until I hear more from friends and neighbors.

Wood remains my primary heat with oil as a backup, but oil is going the way of the dodo.