Do it Yourself: [DIY] Re: Heat Pump

After getting 5 quotes from different companies, I had Trane's new XL20i heat pump with a new air handler and their latest and greatest t-stat and filter installed a year ago. $9300 total. They had these units on sale at the time and the total for the 16-seer was only $700 less that the 19-seer, so I decided to go for it.

I wish I had something to compare it to, but the old system wasn't working when we bought the house so I have no idea how much I am saving if any on monthly electric bills.

We planned on staying in the house a while so thought it was worth the investment. Now, the military says it's time to move again so unfortunately we won't see a return on that investment...unless we decide to rent the house while we're gone.

As for the system overall, I couldn't be happier. The outside unit is super quiet, the filter is very easy to maintain, and it does a great job of keeping our home very comfortable.

HTH! Good luck with your decision.

--- In DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com, "joan e" <joan85032@...> wrote:
>
> Hi, how much more are these seer 19 or 20 or more cost then ones at 16, or 13.
> When I bought mine, the difference when I ran the numbers weren't going to save for 15 years., at 5.00 a month for only a few months,
> a year, to the thousands more they wanted for a seer 13, vs. 16.
>
> In az the contractors take advantage of people. They have the state offer a rebate, of 1200. per unit, if its over 13 or 15,
> then charge you 3K, more than it has to cost.
> All because they belong to the az APS program, and they have to pay to be on it. Or the consumer doesn't get the STate tax rebate of 1200. even if you buy the unit, and have papers to prove it.
> The state forces you to use one of their contrators, doesn't stand behind the install. The contractors charge 3K more, which brings a unit up to over 7-8K
> vs. 5K.
> How is that saving.
> I ran a program where you put in your rate of electric, and the seer etc. and compare the units,
> I couldn't see a cost savings to spend 3K more and save 5.00 max, per month between the two units,
>
> I like to conserve, and that didn't make sense.
> I have another house now, and we have a 12 seer and the bills are not enough to justify spending thousands more to save very little.
>
> If anyone does get quotes on these units, at 19seer I would be interested in hearing how much they are for a 4 and 5ton unit.
>
> sincerely,
> Joan
>
> ps I had a trane ...... it was great.
>
>
> --- In DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com, Mike Shoaf <mike.shoaf@> wrote:
> >
> > another thing to consider: how much of your electric bill is used for heating and cooling? higher efficiency units only reduce the part of your electric bill that is consumed by the equipment during use; much of the electric bill is used by your water heater, dryer and cooking equipment! don't expect your bill to look dramatically different unless you are running your heating and cooling system continuously instead of the normal cycle
> >
> >
> >
> > ________________________________
> > From: "larencorie@" <larencorie@>
> > To: DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com
> > Sent: Wednesday, May 9, 2012 9:14 AM
> > Subject: [DIY] Re: Heat Pump
> >
> >
> >
> > Â
> >
> > Posted by: "vsnbs5" vswartz5@
> >
> > > We are about to have our heat pump replaced that services
> > > the upstairs of our house. The old one is about 17 years
> > > old and has to go. We have some estimates of people saying
> > > a 13 seer will be enough of the approximately 1200 sq ft
> > > and others saying it needs a 16 seer or more. How do I know?
> >
> > Hello (name?);
> >
> > As you have already been told, SEER is the "Seasonal Energy
> > Efficiency Rating" which is an efficiency rating that estimates
> > (since efficiency varies with temperature) the average seasonal
> > efficiency of the unit for cooling only. It is in "BTU/Watt hour".
> > An SEER of 13 or 16 is a very inefficient unit, that will cheat
> > you on every bill you have to pay. If the contractors did not
> > explain that to you, or offer you the option of a more efficient
> > unit, I suggest not even talking to them again. They just wanted
> > a fast sale, and hoped that you would be too uneducated to realize
> > you had been sold junk. SEER 13 is the most inefficient that can
> > be sold. That contractor has no interest in how high your bills
> > will be. SEER 16 is still really bad, at only 23% better than the
> > worst. There are units with SEERs of over 30. They are 131% more
> > efficient (2.31 times) than the inefficient SEER 13 unit. An SEER
> > 30 unit would provide you with the same amount of cooling while
> > using 57% less energy, than a SEER 13 unit. Back in the days
> > when electricity was cheap, things were simpler. Now, a sloppy
> > evaluations, that ignores looking at all your options, such as
> > the cost-effectiveness of adding more ceiling insulation, or
> > attic venting, might end up costing you far higher bills than
> > you need to pay. Of course, most anything you do that replaces
> > your old heat pump is likely to lower your bills, so you might
> > end up being so happy, that you brag about a new heat pump that
> > is still doubling your bills from what you could have with a
> > higher SEER unit, just because you didn't know better. But,
> > remember the higher the SEER the lower your cooling bills.
> > Doubling the SEER, halves the bills, for the same amount of
> > cooling. And, in general you can expect that the units with
> > higher SEERs will also have a higher "HSPF" (Heating Season
> > Performance Factor) Think of the HSPF as the heating SEER.
> >
> > You have not mentioned where you are located (climate inform-
> > -ation), or any energy information about your house (current HP
> > efficiency, current energy usage, attic insulation, energy effi-
> > -ciency improvements, etc). You may be able to use a relatively
> > small, fairly low-cost, heat pump, along with added insulation,
> > and/or some natural cooling strategies, to cut your bills, by
> > 70% or maybe more. So, do not be too hasty to just jump on the
> > lowest installation price, for a simple replacement. Take some
> > time to educate yourself. With the changes in both efficiency
> > and energy costs over the past 17 years, you are likely to be
> > cheating yourself, by not looking into a combination strategy,
> > that includes other energy efficieny improvements, along with
> > the new, higher efficiency heat pump. If you have not added
> > significantly to your attic insulation, that may be a very
> > effective thing to do. There are (have always been) people
> > living comfortably in all parts of the country without any
> > air conditioning. You should, at least, be able to reduce
> > yours. Here is a link to a PDF comparing various heat pumps
> > Notice how high most of the SEERs are, compared to the very
> > low 13 and 16 that you have been offered. Do calculations,
> > to see how much a more efficient unit will save you, over
> > time. A dollar saved today, could cost you many dollars
> > more every year, for the rest of your life. Or, you may
> > find an energy efficient model that gives you all the
> > ongoing savings, without the additional initial cost.
> > Be a smart, educated consumer.
> >
> > <
> > http://www.energystar.gov/ia/products/prod_lists/cac_ashp_prod_list.pdf?8bfa-92d9
> > >
> >
> > Notice how efficient Fujitsu units are..
> >
> > -Laren Corie-
> > Natural Solar Building Design Since 1975
> > www.ThermalAttic.com
> >
> > Read my Solar house design articles in:
> > -Energy Self-Sufficiency Newsletter-
> > www.rebelwolf.com/essn.html
> >
> > Home base-LittleHouses YahooGroup
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LittleHouses/
> >
> > Founder-WoodGas - Power from wood
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WoodGas
> >
> > Founder-RefrigeratorAlternatives YahooGroup
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RefrigeratorAlternatives
> >
>