Ok- I'm dumb on this subject so please help me out. I have an older all electric house with a good furnace but high electric bills. Someone told me a heat pump would help lower some of my costs. so..
1) what is a heat pump?
2) can they be attatched to an older electric Forced air system?
3) are they really a good investment for electric cost savings?
4) Whats a good model for a single level 1400 sq. ft house in the pacific NW ( no air condit)
THANKS for ANY help- I have a couple of bucks to spend on home energy efficiency- did the water heater and windows, now looking at other options
Lisa

A heat pump is a system that moves heat from one place to another. Your refrigerator is a heat pump; it moves heat from inside the refrigerator to your kitchen. An air-conditioner is a heat pump; it moves heat from inside your house (or car) to the outside.

The heat pump that was suggested is a reversible system. It can move heat in either direction. In warm weather, it is essentially an air-conditioner; it will move heat from your home to the outside. In cold weather, it will move heat from the outside into your house. Yes, there is heat in the outside air, enough of it down to about 30F degrees. There is heat in air down to absolute zero, which is below minus 200+F degrees, but not enough heat to heat a home below 30F.

A heat pump is ideal for the Pacific Northwest because the temperature rarely falls much below 32F there. The unit will have an electric coil in it as a back-up heat source for use only when there isn't enough heat in the outside air. As I said, that occurs at around 30F degrees.

If you truly have a forced-air system now, the heat pump can probably be connected to your existing ductwork. There will also be a unit that will be placed outside your house, that looks like an air-conditioning condensing unit.

The heat pump will be a good investment because almost all of your heat is essentially free. Your electric use will be basically limited to what is used to operate a couple of fans and a compressor. Only when the temperature drops below about 30F degrees will you be using electric heat. And if you don't have air conditioning now, you will have it with a heat pump. It's like a fringe benefit.

The selection of a particular model should be left up to a local heating and air conditioning contractor, who will do the calculations required, taking into account the size of your house, its orientation, and its level of insulation. Get a couple of proposals (maybe three), from different contrators. And good luck!

One more thing to consider is if you don't have air conditioning now, you will have to install the coil section at your forced air unit. Depending on the size, it would be around 16" high so hopefully you have that space above your forced air unit to have this installed. Best get a qualified heating contractor to come look at it for you.

The heat pump will have the coil built in. It uses the same coil either way, heating or cooling.

WOW!!
Thanks you guys!
I never understood the what and whys- now I do- when I ask the furnace guys, their more interested in selling me than teaching me. Makes good sense to look into one- especially since a good couple of winter months here cost me about $500-600 in elec !
Appreciate all the info.
Any models that tend to be better than others? Can't afford the really ** ones but don't want to get junk either.
Lisa

Don't know about models...best to ask the local installers.

quote:

Originally posted by Richard Hetzel:
The heat pump will have the coil built in. It uses the same coil either way, heating or cooling.

Not talking about that coil, I'm talking about the one in the air handler. If she already has AC, then it's already there but if not, it will need to be installed.

A heat pump is reversible, and it uses the same coil for both heating and cooling, does it not? I know it uses the same refrigerant, so why would a second coil be necessary?

There are two coils in any air conditioning/heat pump system. One inside, one outside. In cooling mode the inside coil acts as an evaporator to absorb the heat into the refrigerant, while the outside coil is the condensor and sheds the absorbed heat to the outside air, condensing the refrigerant back into a liquid to start the process over again. In heating mode the roles of the coils are reversed, but the process remains the same.

Exactly. Richard I'm referring to the second coil that is on the inside which is located in your air handler/forced air unit. If she already has an central air then it is already there, but if not then I doubt if it is there.

When you install a heat pump system, it comes with a coil, which is used for both heating and cooling. No additional coil is needed. The heat pump system includes two units, one inside and one outside, each having a single coil. There is no air conditioning now, but it will be essentially a free side benefit of installing the heat pump system. It'll be there whether it's wanted or not. It doesn't have to be turned on, and it doesn't need an additional coil.

A heat pump is a wonderful idea! It will indeed reduce your electrical consumption during the heating season. Do look for a contractor that is experienced,does a load calculation and can explain hspf and seer.(Those are efficiency ratings) Many utlity companies offer rebates and/ or financing programs. Your system may also qualify for a tax credit if the efficincy ratings are high enough. Be aware that all manufactures have multiple quality tiers (good, better, best). I personally find that the major brands (Trane, Carrier) while a bit more expensive up front; pay dividends in quiet and reliable service. Finally, I would not suggest adding a coil to your existing electric furnace. It can be difficult to attach the coil for proper operation. You may also wish to consider a variable speed air handler. They are quite impressive and while they typically add a few hundred dollars to the job; all of my customers that have them are very happy that they made that choice. Good Luck!

quote:

Originally posted by Richard Hetzel:
The heat pump system includes two units, one inside and one outside, each having a single coil.

That's all I've been trying to say. What I am calling coils, you are calling units. I was refering to the inside "unit" that attaches to the air handler.

Well, you can't install a heat pump by using the existing air handler. The heat pump system includes both an inside and an outside unit that must be matched to each other. There was never a question of using the existing air handler, and therefore never a need to add an additional coil.

Not to nit-pick on the subject, but the indoor coil (proper ARI match) can indeed be a simple a-coil, equiped with a metering device and check valve,and not necessarily an integral part of an air handler. This makes "dual-fuel" applications possible.

Absolutely Gary, thank you. We do it for any house for a remodel/addition that wants to upgrade to dual fuel. This certainly would be the most economical than buying all new.

A possability to help make the pump more effeciant is to run the outside line down a well ,this is not a cheap thing to do but it would use the thermal temps in the ground water.