SatanLifeProTips t1_j8iltq1 wrote on February 14, 2023 at 4:11 PM

Reply to comment by Jaker788 in Economist: War and subsidies may have knocked as much as ten years off green transition by 10drinkminimum

I’m just north of you and it was amazing how good that new heat pump is now.

Check out multi-head mini-splits too. You can zone your home and have different temperatures in different areas. And it was cheaper than one big unit of the same power.

For my shop a pair of mini-splits was not only more power efficient but it offers redundancy in case one shits the bed. Always have a backup.

For a larger zoned houses, running 2 separate smaller systems means less pipes, quieter outdoor units and better overall system efficiency.

A note about swapping a furnace to a heat pump. Heat pumps need more air flow. The heat isn’t as hot but they make more heat by volume. So that can mean redoing ducting. Sometimes adding a multi head system and programming your old furnace to just act as a fan and stir the air in the house is a possibility. Plus our furnace is now the backup in case the heat pumps go down.

Jaker788 t1_j8inpdj wrote on February 14, 2023 at 4:23 PM

Yeah on the ducting and airflow front that is something I've wondered but haven't got far enough to know if I'm good or not. It's a 1,980 sq ft house with 3 bedrooms, 1 per bedroom upstairs and 2 downstairs for even coverage would probably be the move. I'd probably go central if possible but go ductless if I couldn't get the CFM with current ducting.

SatanLifeProTips t1_j8lavlw wrote on February 15, 2023 at 3:24 AM

You can always keep the furnace ducting with a undersized heat pump then put in a secondary system in the bedrooms to do temperature control in those upstairs rooms. One head per room. Bedroom temperature control is so nice for quality of life. That will take the load off the central unit.

A pro can tell you more. Ask about creative solutions. Or maybe you can move enough air and it doesn’t matter.