Posted on 12/15/2021 7:47:40 PM PST by MAGA2017
We like our system— and it has proven highly efficient, and not expensive to service. In the area, farms use NG backup, or a popular additional heat source is the hot water (wood furnace) outside circulating hot water through a part of the air handling unit— adding to background heat on coldest times of the year. And some have the “emergency” electric strip— which is seriously not efficient, a giant toaster with a fan.
If you’re buying new equipment, the additional cost of a heat pump vs. a straight cool unit is a few hundred dollars. For single stage non-inverter equipment, anyway.
think this one was earlier like 2012... has an XL-____ model. wonder if a new better reverser system could be retrofitted. Prob. not... Trane wants to sell a new unit no doubt. Yours is no doubt better designed.
I have added a switch to disable the aux heat on my heat pump. I just wired it in the “W” wire between the thermostat and the air handler. That was cheaper than buying some better thermostats that might be a little smarter about turning on the aux heat. These dumb thermostats will turn on aux heat when it’s 45F outside, they don’t know any better....
Many reversing valves seem to be very close, if not identical, in the position of their input and output fittings. So it may be possible to put a better one in there.
I can hear it now..... “well technically it is not a fossil fuel”
That’s a good idea— gonna ask electrician friend about this, sounds like a solution to dumb thermostats. The thermostat indoors is in one position in the house— always thought there should be several sensors throughout, and the signals averaged to the “temp” of the interior (subject to how well the windos/doors floors and walls are insulated).
Wood burning stoves would be good......
I just used a standard toggle switch in a handy box and mounted on the wall in the basement next to the air handler.
The only caveat with this is that if you are going to be away on vacation during the winter, you probably want to turn the switch ON so aux heat can run in case there is a problem with the heat pump condensing unit. Otherwise, leave it OFF unless the house gets too cold.
Also, adding a switch on the W wire between the thermostat and air handler won’t stop the aux heat from coming on during defrost. (You probably don’t want to stop that!). That is because the outdoor unit turns on aux heat via it’s own wire.
Heat pumps use either electric resistance stack coils or {not allowed in NYC} gas to supplement the heat below those temperatures.
The changeover cost for both private residence and commercial use will be cost prohibitive. These Idiots haven't done their homework. Entire electrical systems for residential in a lot of places will have to be upgraded for starters. Using electric stack heaters is a very large power draw in relation to the rest of the house. In other words the power grid will fail.
These simpleton Idiots believe power magically comes from a wall outlet. Likely not a one of these lawmakers has had even a remedial course in basic electricity. They have no clue as to how electricity is even generated and distributed.
Yes on everything. Here’s a simple principle. DON’T invest in a system that works worse when it has to do more of what you got it for.
For instance, I am not a huge fan of solar energy, but I do live in Phoenix. The more power you need for air conditioning, the more solar power will usually be available. It’s not great, but it is not stupid, either. Contrast it with heat pumps up north. The colder it gets the harder they work, and it may not be able to keep up well past a certain point. It is certainly less efficient. Natural gas is extremely efficient, plentiful, and scalabl;e except in the boonies (where oil or propane can do the trick).
I would have paid money to be warm, for real. We were so cold. Once the sun went down, it just couldn’t keep up.
The AUX light on the unit was on nearly constantly once the sun went down, but to no avail. My wife ended up letting the dog sleep with her just to help keep her warm.
Something wasn’t working. The older units used sequencers for the aux heat which are known to fail, leaving the aux heat inoperable (even though the light on the thermostat might be on, doesn’t mean the aux heat is actually working).
Newer units just use a contactor and a little smarts on the control board to do what the failure-prone sequencers did (which is to add a time delay so the aux heat doesn’t come on right away, but after a 30 second delay). Much more reliable that way.
“Even a run-of-the-mill single-stage 15 SEER/9.0 HSPF Goodman has a COP of around 2.7 at 17F.”
Your point being?
That sort of COP at that temperature is pretty much the norm for heat pumps.
And it confirms my point that heatpumps can by quite economical for heating, even in colder climates.
No disagreement there, and even a single-stage heatpump can work quite well. I have a Trane XR15 which is a 9.5 HSPF heatpump. The other option would have been a propane furnace. No thanks.
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