What is Electric Heat Pump ? (how much, houses, neighborhood)

[NowInCT]

All,
Being from the Northeast, the only forms of Heating i'm used to seeing are Oil or Gas, Forced-hot-air or radiant heat.

Just about every house I see listed in the richmond area uses a "Electric Heat Pump" for heating.

In the northeast we wouldn't dream of heating a house with electricity because the cost would be astronomical.

Can somebody provide a little insight as to how much this costs to run during average winter months?

While we're at it... what's a typical A/C bill for summer months (assume a 2,000 sq ft house) ?

thanks. really appreciate it
ed

[sls76]

Gas furnaces are the norm in my neighborhood. We have an electric heat pump in our third floor. They can be very expensive if it gets really cold.

Do a search of the Raleigh-Durham forum (a lot more users). I've seen a bunch of threads there about monthly bills with heat pumps. Having lived there recently, electricity costs are pretty comparable and the climate is a bit milder there, but it should help you gauge what you're looking at.

Typical is hard to come up with. Depends on so many things (exposure, insulation, windows, temperature you keep your house at). I'd budget $200/month in the summer.

[Desertspiritsteve]

A heat pump moves heat from one place to another. Also called a reverse cycle air conditioner. In colder parts of the country you might consider a ground source heat pump. That kind of unit pumps the summer heat out of your house and puts it into the earth. In the winter it does just the opposite. Another thing I've been seeing more of is a hybrid system that is a heat pump but has a gas or oil furnace, too. When it gets really cold you can burn fossil fuels for heat. The ground source heat pump would be my choice.

[Pruzhany]

Most homes built after the 80's have heat pumps. Most supply heat and A/C. Its a two part system with an air handler in the house and the master fan with radiator outside. It has a built-in emergency function for winter just in case the outside unit either fails or freezes shut. As long as you change the filter every 1-3 months its usually maintenence free for about 20 years. Depending on your comfort level, except for two peak months, bills are around $200-$300. Due to the extreme weather last winter in VA, many bills spiked up to over $500 for a couple of months.

[jhrichmond]

My house is about 2800 sq ft. Our highest bill last year in December was $344.58, but the previous year, it was January with $299.74. Highest Summer bill was $222.60. $2471.72 was the total for 2009, which averages about $200/mo. (Obviously, it would be less for a 2K sq.ft. house)
Keep in mind that some houses are insulated better than others. Homeowners will usually be happy to provide you with their electric billing history if you have your Realtor ask.

[onevthoki]

Also, VA Power offers a consolidated bill pay option, where they estimate your monthly usage, and you pay the same each month. They will periodically adjust it, giving you notice the month prior. Mine went up twice in the last 18 months, but now has gone WAAAY down because of some rate adjustment they are doing.

The other thing I will mention is that heat pump heat is a cold heat - not as warm as gas.

[BrianLMA]

An electric heat pump is actually a very efficient system for MODERATE climates. As long as the temperature doesn't go too high or too low they are a great system. Generally, central VA is moderate although there were certainly some cold snaps this past winter. If you Google "electric heat pump" you will find tons of information.