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@axilar.net" <larencorie@axilar.net>
To: DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, May 9, 2012 9:14 AM
Subject: [DIY] Re: Heat Pump
To: DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, May 9, 2012 9:14 AM
Subject: [DIY] Re: Heat Pump
Posted by: "vsnbs5" vswartz5@aol.com
> 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
> 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
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