What to Know Before Switching to Whole House Heat Pumps | Ask This Old House
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- Опубликовано: 24 май 2024
- In this video, This Old House home technology expert Ross Trethewey teaches host Kevin O’Connor about heat pumps and how they aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution.
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Heat pumps are economical to run and don’t use fossil fuels. But, they’re not the perfect solution for every home. Home technology expert Ross Trethewey teaches host Kevin O’Connor what to know about these appliances before making the switch.
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Special thanks to The Energy Conservatory (TEC) [energyconservatory.com/] for providing additional information.
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What to Know Before Switching to Whole House Heat Pumps | Ask This Old House
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Recommend to go watch the technology connections video.
You can do the calculations yourself (and he shows you several way to do it) and many pro's will either oversize the system to be on the cautious side or just copy what is there if it's the correct size or not.
A good calculation he showed worked was to figure the duty cycle of your current heater on the coldest days and divide the total BTU's of it by active time. In his case on the coldest Chicago day he furnace was only on 25% of the time. so with headroom a hest pump that was 1/3 the size of his current furnace would keep him warm with a margin of error.
Not sure I follow, what's a hest pump
Exactly. If you've heated the house with some other tech, you know how many BTUs it took. Just look at the bill and do some math. I recommend becoming as much of an HVAC expert as you can, just to sort out the companies you're talking to.
Good idea in general
You can't be an expert on everything but knowing a little will just cost you time and when you're auto mechanic says you need a new turboencabulator you can call them on it.
@@jaycie5021 I went to the hardware store today inquiring about this, no one there knew what a hest pump was either, I'm lost here guys
Yeah, he always puts out informative videos. I liked his rant on why some car makers don't use yellow lights for their turn signals.
I’ve yet to meet a trustworthy HVAC company. It’s such a shame. I’ve also yet to meet someone who would actually take measurements such as the static pressure you are talking about. They all just come in and tell you heat pumps. Then say it will cost $15,000 to install one. Then when you look up the model they recommend and see the whole sale price as 3,000 you wonder, what am I paying for? Then it breaks down a couple years from now because they did a crummy installation. It’s sad to deal with and I feel for uniformed users. So I would say to watch that technology connections video as well!!!
So true
In the new Eastern US Static Pressure Manual, HVAC contactors over charge and average of 38.22 percent above Norm.....not Nahm
HVAC industry is about the worst scammers, right up there with solar. Plumbers are high on the shameless crooks list too…
Yes, it’s the way to go
@Navy1977 $12,000 savings you could literally go through trade school and get licensed and certified
I love our heat pump (ours is a multizone ductless system, vs. a whole house system using ductwork). It replaced electric baseboards and an in-wall cadet style heater. It's considerably more economical to run than the baseboards, and I love how quiet our system is vs. visiting a house with a furnace where you hear the furnace kick on. We also gained the ability to cool our space, which we didn't have before (we're in the Pacific Northwest, which has some of the lowest percentages of air conditioning in the country). It kept the house comfortable and cool several years ago when we hit 108 degrees, and has kept the house warm in the mid-teens during a cold snap. Our average winter temp is in the low to mid 30s, so we're very much in the heat pump sweet spot. This will be the 4th year since we had it installed, with essentially zero maintenance (I pop out the unit filters a couple of times a year and vacuum them). We kept our baseboards in most rooms as an emergency backup, but we haven't needed them once.
That's the system I'd like to go to. How much was it installed? How long is it expected to last? What is the break even period for you?
Break even period ...18.5 years ...good luck
Very complete overview checklist, Ross. Great job of informing homeowners. ...And yet as others have noted here... the consumer will have a VERY difficult time locating an HVAC service company that's willing (and able) to make calculations, much less accomplish relevant measurements (eg.: duct leakage and airflow). I dream of a day when an HVAC service tech shows up on site with modern digital (or ANY) gauges to take performance measurements of airflow, refrigerant pressures, subcooling and superheat, and then able to decode the results to make adjustments other than "...probably needs more gas", or for furnaces; "...You're gonna a bigger replacement furnace, this one's just too old." My own experience of 45 years here in Southern New Hampshire has shown me that HVAC measurement and diagnostic skills (and on-site time and willingness to use them) are sadly missing from our industry, no matter how much a homeowner might willing to pay for those services.
Hi Lew, there's a group us working to connect contractors who learn continuously, practice ethically, and share openly: we call it #betterHVAC
Here in heating zone 4(SE PA), where you need both heating and AC, we have a ground source heat pump, 3 ton(36,000 btus) in a old but tight, fairly well insulated, ducted system( I sealed the ducts). It does a terrific job year round, installed in 2008, minimal maintenance and one small repair. Backup resistance heat never goes on. My wife says the overall energy bill is much less than our former 4 ton ac( oversized) and high efficiency propane heater(90,000btu- oversized). What made the most difference was air sealing and insulation, which let us use a small system at lower costs. House is 2200 square feet.
We are in a fairly competitive hvac market here,
Great video!!!! Love the flow chart!!!
Great video! It's also important to consider how well the home structure itself gains and loses heat-this is the home performance subtopic in the world of building science. Blower door tests, thermal imaging, and smoke tracing can help measure and address home performance. The Building Performance Institute lists certified contractors who understand and practice these skills to make homes with heat pumps perform the best. Now, many HVAC contractors are practicing home performance tests and upgrades.
On a personal note, with the benefit of new construction, we dialed in the design of the house and HVC system to be able to heat and cool our 2800 Sq ft home in climate zone 5 with a 2-ton air source heat pump without using any backup source of heat.
The ultimate is a heat pump and a furnace. If it’s mild outside the heat pump runs but when it’s cold the furnace kicks in automatically
After plenty of RUclips videos and purchasing a vacuum pump/gauge setup and a few other tools, i successfully installed a wall mounted mini split in my garage office. Contemplating replacing my ducted a/c furnace with some sort of multizone heat pump system that uses cassettes. Waiting for my state to sort out all the rebates.
In Southern New Hampshire, heat pumps are fine but here electricity is expensive and natural gas is cheap so, I wouldn’t recommend ripping an existing natural gas system out and going all heat pump. January is going to be very expensive in that case as the colder it gets, the more energy the heat pump needs to use. Against heating oil it’s more competitive especially at moderately cold temperatures, but this idea of ripping out an existing system seems limiting.
Only limits your imagination, I can imagine totally ripping out your old system with ease
If you can afford it, install a Geothermal system, it saves a TON of energy compared to the already efficient heat pumps and you can get real combo gains by using DualSun hybrid solar panels. DualSun makes a "Spring" series of panels (Spring2 is coming out soon) where water is pumped up to the roof then run on the underside of the panels to cool them off. The warm water can be used in cooler spring and fall months to boost the geothermal efficiency and to provide warmth in the winter too. If you want to keep it simple a large black tank of water in sunlight will get pretty hot even in the winter, "Thermal mass storage" works with sand and all kinds of other stuff too.
Finally you can go hardcore mode and tie in a generator (use a heat exchanger with the oil to keep the oil cool and get free hot water) or a "wood gasifier" syngas generator for emergency heat.
I like Geothermal because it uses a lot less power to run, if you accept most HVAC systems are over sized and shave off a half ton to a ton you can get even better energy savings.
I'm doing all of this with a buddies house, we got the geothermal installed, he bought normal solar panels so we're going with barrels painted black in his sunroom to collect heat which can provide passive boost in the winter, and we might be adding some solar heat collection in the backyard. A generator with a tie in to the geothermal system is next, then we're going to build a FEMA Wood Gasifier.
In temperate California folks who have ducted gas furnaces but no AC are getting interested in whole house heat pumps. The heat pumps will give them AC for the first time. I wonder if those older heat-only ducts now being used for cooling could lead to condensation issues.
I wish Steve had asked What questions should a homeowner ask in order to determine if a contractor knows what they’re doing AND will be trustworthy/impartial in their recommendations
Good starting point to think about whether a heat pump is a good idea and make sure a hired pro is doing their job right.
They don't really know their job, most heat pump guys have admitted that in the Scientilization of HVAC Contractors Association
I'd like to put in a heat pump but I have yet to find an hvac company I'd trust to do it. Seems most won't do manual J and D calcs. Existing ductwork is leaky and in an unfinished attic. Floorplan makes it difficult to run new ductwork from half basement or garage without massive soffits. Multi zone ductless is probably the way to go, but expensive to install and questionable if it'll pay for itself in savings.
We have electric resistance heating but put in a high efficiency wood fireplace this year. Likely spend less than $1k/yr on heat with this setup, even running electric only at night.
Unfinished attic and removing your ductwork is hard??....what clams you been pawning?
Suffohlk County lobstahs $13.99 / lb.
@@Kevin-mp5of dats ah goohd prihce
@@OrangeCountySkid only 2' of vertical clearance to move around in my attic. The middle bay is taken up by the air handler and trunk line. The only 'floor' is 1/2" drywall from the 2nd floor ceiling.
I've had one hvac company charge $4k to replace 2 flex duct runs, and another company refuse the work. That being said, I never said it was hard to remove ductwork. I've fixed my condensate drain and multiple duct runs up there myself. I said it will be difficult to run new ductwork for a traditional system without building tons of soffits ($$$). The air handler will need to come out of the attic with a crane, with the cap of the siding ripped off. Any way you slice it, a new heat pump/ductwork install is going to be $20k. I'd do most of the work myself, but there's no easy answer for where to run the ductwork for a whole house system.
@@robertm5969 air handler, push it right out the window, trunk line, get what's called a shrimp line system, move that, dangerous floor being drywall, use Peterboard if you can find it
This video mistakenly conflates energy savings with cost savings. They do not mean the same thing. The natural gas application has energy savings but in many cases does not have cost savings (positive, neutral, or negative), depending on electric and natural gas rates. I'd love to promote this video, but due to this error, we won't promote in our region.
Air to water heat pumps exist for people with hot water baseboard heat.
This is what I want. We already have hot water heat and I would like to just replace our oil system.
Heat pumps are fantastic in the summer and during the shoulder season here in Ohio... But they certainly don't save us any money in January and February. $200 a month in July... $500 a month in January and February.
Planning to install a supplemental propane system for the winter.
Edit: This is with our thermostat set at 67° all year round and our electric rate is 11 cents per kilowatt
We run a fireplace insert. Even with electric baseboard running at night, we paid $200/mo for electric in Jan. In PA
Usually 80 degrees in fireplace room and 75 in every other room in the house. Firewood free from tree service companies, just need to split it.
We just burn newel posts all winter
What am I missing on the whole heat-pump fear? I grew up in the South around heat pumps my whole life and I do not understand why so many people are against them.
Im getting mine next week. I have pure electric. and forced air.
And then you have 50s HVAC forced air systems with un sealed return air... all the HVAC techs i have talked to over the years all say that the next time we replace the furnace to get one with a blower motor with a higher rating than what our sq footage dictates.
I've had a mini-split for years. They are really only good enough above freezing temps for heating.
Also, electric residtance heating is fantastic for sumplemental heating in individual rooms.
heat pumps and mini splits are great when its 40 degrees like mid atlantic states.....reason they are not used up here to much in residential....
electric resistance heating...you mean space heaters?
They now make low temp heat pumps that work into much colder temperatures. I don't think they've covered -40, but get down to around 0 F at least.
Flowcharts. The bane of my existence during my early days of computer programming. I'd do the drawing AFTER I wrote the program. And when I say drawing, I mean, yes, stick figures, we had no computers to do them. And if you tried to use those plastic templates, well, those programs would never have gotten done.
@@Navy1977 I was in college and school had keypunch machines. In my junior year I got a job in the computer lab. The biggest perk was I no longer had to use the cards, I got an account on the Univac 1106 for my BASIC, FORTRAN, and COBOL programs. (I also got to play Dungeons & Dragons, but in text mode). If that year value in your account name refers to your graduation from the Naval Academy, then you are just a tad older than me. I was still in college in that year.
Doesn't work so great for me, I live in predominantly cooling-required climate (house is passivhaus so we don't need to actually heat in the winter), because the different rooms in the house have completely different cooling requirements due to the solar gain.
Southwards facing rooms (2 at the end of the house) heat up considerably compared to the living room which has eastward facing rooms and big soffits so the windows get into shade already before noon.
There aren't any good systems that would dynamically change the vents to regulate the flow of air (and closing one vent isn't really a guarantee that the flow will move equally to other parts) without user input and who wants to go adjust their vents year around?
The solution in the end was to let the centralised cooling run 24/7 and provide baseline cooling to the whole house and them fortify the critical areas with a separate mini-splits. Works reasonably.
If I was building again, I would just ditch centralised cooling and put minisplits that can be hidden in the walls or roof to every room, or maybe share with 2 rooms max that have similar solar gain.
buy curtains...
This made me tear up. I don't have anyone around me at 44 that understands what hip hop was/is for me. The connection that it made with me while I was growing up. Wether good or bad moments. It was a part of my life.
Attractive ... but definitely Not 100% Heaters. Most all ....Tap out at 7 degrees 'C as in they no longer provide heat at or below that temp.
I know this because I have one. Best part of a heat pump is it's AC function.
I'm on the border of Quebec, and I replaced my 20 year old oil burning furnace three years ago with the same but updated model. At that time, I asked the technicians about installing heat pumps. Their answer was, "You will not be happy with it." For areas that regularly get to temperatures of 20 below 0 like where I am, I think the technology still has a way to go.
Canada's still there???
What’s the matter with Trathewy? We are trying to save the planet not money aren’t we? BTW in most cases you are required to remove your existing carbon fired equipment to get the incentive money anyway. If you do this: good luck!
Low temperature heat🤣
these heat pumps are no good in the northeast especially if you have not upgraded your insulation and windows ...mid atlantic and south they are great..not where it gets in teens in winter..
Most people won't be happy with a heat pump system. Not much Savings if any. Will cost more with installation. It's just like ev's alot of inconvenience for basically no benefit.
@1:48: Reinforcing the idea that money is really our only value. Sad.
I'm not basing my purchases on feelings
@@big_dee33 You can't think of any criteria other than money and feelings? That'd be pretty sad as well.
Richaad’s sleazy car salesman son the hack is back…
Jack Hackslacks..... Nascar driver
Sorry about your mushrrom
@@ChristopherErringtonPhoto wat?... Yah perbaht
Heat pumps suck in cold climates. Do alot of research first. The hype is artificial.
Nothing but a myth, but is likely perpetuated by a sub par installer. A system is only as good as the installation.
I live in New England in a house built around 1905 and this my second year of using a heat pump as my sole source. Worked just fine. Proper air sealing and insulation is required.
anecdotal evidence. Your probably 14 and live in your parents basement.
@donovanlewis3053 i have a mitsubishi city multi at work up here in mass...it does a decent job heating 58 apartments 10 degrees outside it can maintain 70 in the building. but it is really working hard....its a reallhy complex system...
What use is your channel if you tell us to seek a professional. Don’t do that.
@@Navy1977 It is funny the CYA stuff home improvement shows say. I remember a Bob Vila clip where he told his audience not to do their own plumbing and call a pro.
because this is generalized info, each project is unique. plus it helps you know what you're talking about with the pro and potentially help you not get ripped off