heat pump vs. traditional electric heater and air

[CWO]

Just curious about everyone's experience. I currently have a heat pump system that may or may not be going out and I have been told that ripping it out and putting in the traditional stuff is the way to go.

I'm getting conflicting stories of monthly energy cost and would like to get some real info.

[lowthreeohz]

Heat pump is useless below 40 or so, its basically reverse ac. I would much prefer a furnace and ac over heat pump, which my current house has. Previous house with furnace was not expensive to run, whereas the emergency heat / aux heat is expensive as fuck in a cold snap. Over thanksgiving we had to run the emer heat upstairs, and my bill almost doubled.

[fordracing19]

I have a hp and it runs without the backup heat down to 20 degrees. Heat pump is your best bet if gas isnt available and you dont want to deal with propane.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2

[CWO]

forgot to mention my house is 1700sqft and single story built in 2007.

Thanks lo30z

[8mpg]

Why not run a heat pump? It has back up heating strips like a traditional electric furnace would. If you have gas, you cant beat the cost efficiency of a gas furnace.

I just had a heat pump installed. My sister and her husband have a heat pump and they love theirs. Their electric bills on a 2500sqft house havent been over $120 summer or winter. Their house is a cookie cutter out in North Fort Worth that is all builder grade.

Don over at H&H (junk racing) just did a full install heat pump with new ducting for me.

[CWO]

gas isn't an option in my neighborhood, gotta be 100% electric

[lowthreeohz]

Ideally, a dedicated ac and furnace will be slightly more efficient than heat pump, BTW.

[fordracing19]

Definitely go high seer heat pump. Ours is a York Affinity.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2

[junk racing]

If your house is straight electric heat with no gas available a hp will save you money in the long run. Yes they lose effeciency when it gets extremely cold but here in texas we dont usually have alot of brutally cold days. Look at it this way a straight electric air handler pulls somewhere near 25-40 amps of current at all times when its heating and number of heat strips etc. A properly working hp pulls about 7-15. That is where your savings come from.

[Tyrone Biggums]

If your house is straight electric heat with no gas available a hp will save you money in the long run. Yes they lose effeciency when it gets extremely cold but here in texas we dont usually have alot of brutally cold days. Look at it this way a straight electric air handler pulls somewhere near 25-40 amps of current at all times when its heating and number of heat strips etc. A properly working hp pulls about 7-15. That is where your savings come from.

Yes.

[Blackpony]

I have a heat pump now and hate it. Nights like last nite, it never kicked off and blows cold air at you. My next house will not have one.

[CWO]

pretty confused right now, not gonna lie lol

[Baron Von Crowder]

apparently there is a pretty big difference in a good heat pump and a bad one. The last rent house we were in had a heat pump, and it was cold until the grids kicked on, and when they did, anywhere in the house, you felt like someone was blowing on you with a hair dryer for a couple of mins, and then it was back to cold again.

I had the same question as to why this system is supposed to be better, and found that some have really good luck, and some have the same experience we did.

[juiceweezl]

pretty confused right now, not gonna lie lol

Go read this:

http://www.broomheating.com/FAQ_HP.htm

I have a heat pump on my rental house. We lived in it for 9 years. I had a heat pump on my house in NC. My current house has a gas furnace. The correct information has been given to you above -- heat pumps are more efficient until the temps get much below 40 degrees.

When it gets really cold, the heat pump has to have an assist (aux heat) by using electric heat strips. Some people just go ahead and switch to emergency (EMER on the stat) heat during that time. The heat strips are electric and up around the air handler. Basically, it's like one of those space heaters some people use at their desk in an office. When it falls much below 40 in normal mode, the heat pump will have to go into defrost. The air handler will blow cool air. That's when the heat strips turn on. In a properly working unit, they come on in phases as needed (maybe there are 4 strips and only 2 will come on). This keeps the air warm and prevents the temperature from falling very much in the house while the heat pump defrosts. When it's super cold out, especially if there's moisture/ice/snow, the unit my spend extended time in defrost. This is when most people switch to emergency heat and then all 4 heat strips will be on. That's when it uses the most power, but it's way more efficient when not using any heat strips.

Both gas and heat pump can be efficient, and it usually comes down to other factors on which is better/more suited for your needs. The biggest factor will be the efficiency of your house (insulation, weather stripping, doors, windows, etc.). The one true area where gas holds a significant advantage is that it does blow hot air. If you've been gone or out of town for a few days or if you just prefer it colder when you sleep, you may desire to have the house warm up quickly. Say you let it get to 64/65 overnight then wake up in the morning and it's freezing while getting ready for work. You can turn the stat to 70, and the heat pump will slowly work it's way there -- you're not going to really feel it before you leave for work. The gas furnace will instantly begin blowing hot air and you'll feel it right away.

Hope that helps. Like has been said though, if gas isn't offered in your area, then you're stuck choosing a propane tank or HP. If that's the case, I'd go with a heat pump.

[Tyrone Biggums]

^ Very good info.