Should I buy a central air conditioner or heat pump for my home?

[jackknifeh]

My central air conditioner blew up. I'm replacing everything. Depending on who I talk to I'll get different info on heat pump vs an air conditioner like I have now (compressor outside and air handler inside with heater). My electric company said heat pumps are more effecient as a rule but in older homes that may not be insulated as well as a brand new home with good insulation they are not necessarily better on saving on the electricity bills. My house is in the older house category. It has to do with they way they use electricity. That's really my main concern because I think either will heat and cool just fine. We will be comfortable, but I'd like to have an extra $2 every month after the elec. bill is paid. We do get some sort of rebate from the electric company if we have a heat pump in the home. Don't know why.

Heat pump is more expensive initially by approx. 30%. Salesman says the monthly bill is going to be far less with a heat pump. That will save money in the long run (IF IT'S TRUE).

So, you guys tell me what to buy. Seriously, if anyone has had experience in this area and is willing to share I'd appreciate it. Honestly, I don't know enough about the subject to know what to ask. I live on the panhandle of FL. Summer is longer than winter, hot but not devestating and winters are not bad of course. It gets below freezing at night about 10 times each winter (at night).

Jack

[jzmtl]

Depends on how much you use heat. If you like to keep your place toasty warm in winter I'd go with heat pump, otherwise there isn't much point. They work exactly the same in summer, only when producing heat one use heating element the other use compressor except running reverse (compare to AC).

[springnr]

Heat pump, properly sized unit for your house.

[w3tnz]

Heat pumps are generally pretty poor at heating, there are some newer models out that claim to provide equal heating per Kw as cooling however most offer about 1/4 of the heating of the rated power, they were designed to cool not heat (despite the name). We have a reasonable sized modern panisonic heat pump and it really struggles in the cold, in sub zero temps the inverter has to power down about once an hour and heat itself up again, and takes about 20 minutes to power up initially. We have to have it set to 30 degrees celsius (max) but it would be lucky to get the house above 20, not to mention how much power it uses in the process (lots).

We have a coal range for heating, it will get the house about twice as hot as the heat pump in half the time, its also a nicer heat, I don't know much about the other units you mentioned, but seeing as you live in florida and the temps are pretty moderate ? A heat pump should serve you well. The efficiency all depends on how you use them.

[The Deacon]

Guess the big questions would be how much you pay now for heating and cooling, initial cost of both units, their relative upkeep costs, and their relative lifespans. Based on those, you can get a pretty good idea whether you'd ever actually recoup the investment.

[BAL]

I don't know Jack, other will know better, but I thought that I would
answer with the typical Spyderco forum response........ GET BOTH.

[jackknifeh]

I don't know Jack, other will know better, but I thought that I would
answer with the typical Spyderco forum response........ GET BOTH.

You know, getting both didn't occur to me. I'll do that and while I'm at it I'll get a second house to hold the second unit. I knew I could count on knife people.

Jack

[Lord vader]

Heat pumps don`t do well further north when Temperatures dip below 40 degrees,but do well in Florida and depending how far north in Florida you are,if you live far enough south you should be fine.As for efficiency,Heat pump units are more efficient than electric heat systems.My vote goes to the heat pump unit.

[Donut]

In my experience with your suggestion for opinion threads, I think you will choose the option that costs you the least money up front.

[rodloos]

I'll be interested in which you decide to go with (and what price). My central a/c went out a few years ago, I put window unit air conditioners in for the short term, but am planning to replace the a/c and heater this year. My house is only 1250 square feet or so, but is 57 years old and poorly insulated, so I need to replace the wiring first, and insulate. Here in Texas a/c is important, but we do get our cold snaps too.

[kbuzbee]

Anyone tried those zone units from Mitsubishi?

http://www.mitsubishicomfort.com/en/...ergy-efficient

Ken

[Ed Schempp]

To optimize heating with a heat pump it should be located on the south side os the building, to optimize cooling placing the compressor on the north side gives optimal cooling. The heat demands in Florida are small and a heat pump would be adequate. In our state if you have a heat pump you also have to have a furnass. We are dealing with much greater heat demand where heat pumps are marginal. I didn't want a unit in my front yard so I went with a north side located air conditioning unit and the mandated furnass...Take Care...Ed

[jackknifeh]

To optimize heating with a heat pump it should be located on the south side os the building, to optimize cooling placing the compressor on the north side gives optimal cooling. The heat demands in Florida are small and a heat pump would be adequate. In our state if you have a heat pump you also have to have a furnass. We are dealing with much greater heat demand where heat pumps are marginal. I didn't want a unit in my front yard so I went with a north side located air conditioning unit and the mandated furnass...Take Care...Ed

Never heard anthing about the location making a difference. Anyway we are not going with a heat pump. Tomorrow a 3 ton system will be installed. We have had a 2.5 ton for 16 years. We went with the company we chose because increasing the size didn't increase the price that everyone else was quoting. Also, they have a 10 year parts AND LABOR warranty. Everyone else has a 10 year parts, 1 year labor warranty. Well, Sears had several different options. Of the people we talked to they fell at the BOTTOM of the list. Their pitch sounded pretty good while the salesman was here but after comparing all the offers they weren't better. Also, they had a policy that if we signed while he was there it would reduce the price by $300. Just to make sure we understood correctly my wife repeated that to him and he confirmed it. She informed him that was pure BS. Wife didn't abrreviate. Then he said if we needed to wait and decide after getting other quotes we would still get the $300 discount. I thought adding $300 just so it could be used as a closing tool was a tad petty. Just my opinion. It's not the first time that sales tool has been used. I guess if we said OK right off the bat he would have left the $300 included. Maybe not.

So, we are very happy with what we have decided and hope it works out. Maybe my house will be chilly tomorrow afternoon.

Thanks to everyone who gave info on what they knew.

Jack

[Ed Schempp]

A heat pump is a reversible air conditioner. When used as a heat pump the condenser is inside and gives off heat the evaporator is outside getting cold this often requirers a defroster to melt the ice. If your unit is on the south side of the house the electric defroster doesn't have to run as often. When your unit is cooling the condenser is outside and giving off heat and cools more easily on the north side of your building...TAke Care...Ed

[Dr. Snubnose]

Jack maybe you need to go Solar....A chance to get off the grid and make the power company pay you for any excess energy thrown their way.....Just a thought....Doc

[razorsharp]

Heat pumps are generally pretty poor at heating, there are some newer models out that claim to provide equal heating per Kw as cooling however most offer about 1/4 of the heating of the rated power, they were designed to cool not heat (despite the name). We have a reasonable sized modern panisonic heat pump and it really struggles in the cold, in sub zero temps the inverter has to power down about once an hour and heat itself up again, and takes about 20 minutes to power up initially. We have to have it set to 30 degrees celsius (max) but it would be lucky to get the house above 20, not to mention how much power it uses in the process (lots). We got a Mitsubishi electric heat pump recently, heats up the room quicksmart and keeps it warm,

We have a coal range for heating, it will get the house about twice as hot as the heat pump in half the time, its also a nicer heat, I don't know much about the other units you mentioned, but seeing as you live in florida and the temps are pretty moderate ? A heat pump should serve you well. The efficiency all depends on how you use them.

. We just got a Mitsubishi electric heat pump and that warms the room up pretty quick and keeps it warm

[jackknifeh]

Got new AC/heat system installed yesterday. Decided against the heat pump. According to a heat pump salesman putting one in our house wouldn't give the performance (or saving) they would in a newer home where the house is well insulated. Our house is not insulated all that well and doesn't have the most cost effective windows. So, we went from a 2.5 ton to a 3 ton system. Heat pumps turned out to be only a little more expensive than the Sears salesman quoted. He was the first guy we talked to and after more checking I'd recommend no one sign a contract with Sears without checking other options. That's true with anyone of course but Sears was not even close to the other quotes we got. The other three were very close. One last thing about Sears, or the salesman. He wanted us to finance extra money that would result in a $60 per month payment. I asked how many months that would be and he said he couldn't give me a number like 12 months, 18 months, etc. He compared it to a credit card in that the only way to pay it off would be to make payments higher than the minimum payment. I'm don't know much but that sounded like I was talking to a loan shark.

Anyway, the house feels better now after about 18 hours of running. The new system seems to cool more effectively based on the fact that it turns off more often. Since nothing has improved in insulation of the home I'll just wait and see how much better off we are. When the weather gets hot and I see a couple of electric bills.

[Lord vader]

That should keep you nice and cool this summer.

Got new AC/heat system installed yesterday. Decided against the heat pump. According to a heat pump salesman putting one in our house wouldn't give the performance (or saving) they would in a newer home where the house is well insulated. Our house is not insulated all that well and doesn't have the most cost effective windows. So, we went from a 2.5 ton to a 3 ton system. Heat pumps turned out to be only a little more expensive than the Sears salesman quoted. He was the first guy we talked to and after more checking I'd recommend no one sign a contract with Sears without checking other options. That's true with anyone of course but Sears was not even close to the other quotes we got. The other three were very close. One last thing about Sears, or the salesman. He wanted us to finance extra money that would result in a $60 per month payment. I asked how many months that would be and he said he couldn't give me a number like 12 months, 18 months, etc. He compared it to a credit card in that the only way to pay it off would be to make payments higher than the minimum payment. I'm don't know much but that sounded like I was talking to a loan shark.

Anyway, the house feels better now after about 18 hours of running. The new system seems to cool more effectively based on the fact that it turns off more often. Since nothing has improved in insulation of the home I'll just wait and see how much better off we are. When the weather gets hot and I see a couple of electric bills.