Home Heating

[Old Ford Mechanic]

Good evening,T'm thinking about changing from an LP gas central heating and cooling unit to an electric heatpump for my home.The old gas unit was installed in 1989.We have only been using the cooling side for the last dozen years or so.I had a problem with a freon leak a couple of years back.I repaired a leaking schrader valve and recharged the unit and have not had a problem since.We installed Infared wall heaters when we stopped using the heat side on the unit.The wall units were more cost friendly and did a great job of heating the house.But the LP gas prices now have gotten me to thinking that maybe i could use electric heat and reduce the yearly cost a little.And with the age of the existing unit now might be the time to switch.The heatpump would have the heatstrips but,the winters here are not usually very cold.So i don't believe the strips would be utilized that much.The gas prices are ranging for $2.19 to $2.49 per gallon here now.And i usually average 300 gallon per year.As i said the old unit is in its 19th.year of operation.And we are talking about 3 ton units.The house is a single level over crawlspace.The attic has 15" of blown insulation.Our winters usually have nightime temps in the mid to high 20's.An artic blast might sometimes lower that to the mid teens for a couple of nights.I am in Alabama.What do you guys think?Good move or not?By the way i will keeping the infared wall units for backup in case of power failure.

 

[Michael Soldan]

Here in Ontario electric heat is considered the most expensive heat, Natural gas followed by propane, then oil heat. More and more folks in rural areas are using outdoor furnaces, auxilliary wood stoves etc. I use auxillary wood stove which saves a lot, high efficiency oil furnace is the main source..but I would never go electric..just my opinion but here it is a fact that electricity is the most expensive.

 

[Pair-a-dice farm]

I have a ground source heat pump that pulls water out of one well and puts in back in another. Here in Arkansas it cost about $600 to heat our house last year, 2000 square ft. We probably need more insulation and new ductwork so it could be cheaper. My mother has a diesel furnace and about the same size house, it cost her about $1500 last winter.

 

[John (C-IL)]

We installed a new heat pump last year and cut our electric bill by 40% because the new unit is more efficient than the old one. Before the heat pump it took almost 2000 gallons of LP per year for heating only, the house is all electric otherwise. We now use about 600 gallons of LP when the heatpump won't handle the load.

One of the keys to heating economically is to get a favorable electric rate from the power company.
It's worth a call to the power company to see what your options are.

 

[kyhayman]

Im in the land of cheap electricity. With that said, Id get a heat pump with a gas pack if I were getting another one.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Michael, I know whatyou say is correct because my brother in Ottawa has told be the same. What I could never understand is why in Manitoba you could just about reverse the order. You would think Ontario would have nearly as much Hydro capability as Manitoba. I suppose maybe they do, just a whole lot more people to use it.

 

[Rick Kr]

I am running a 6 ton heat pump (Geothermal) and it is cheap to heat with compared to all the neighbors running propane.

I have 20Kw electric backup in it, just in case the system cant keep up. The electric backup runs usually 1-2 weeks a year, during the real cold (-5F) and high winds.

In Michigan you get a discounted rate from the power companies.

Based on the amount of propane I would have used mine has more than paid for itself in 3 winters.

A plus side, the AC bills are very cheap too.

Rick