School me on heat pumps
#23
One major difference you have when going from a conventional forced air heating system (gas, oil, propane etc.) is that heat pumps don't create heat, they transfer it slowly but efficiently.  If you are used to using a programmable set-back thermostat (like I was) you find out that heat pumps do not handle them well, if at all. During the heating months, a heat pump is good a maintaining a temperature but has a very hard time raising the temperature, even 3-5 degrees, without the assistance of using the aux. heat strips. Using the heat strips costs lots of $$$ in electricity so any savings gained by turning down the heat at night is more than counteracted by the cost of using the heat strips in the morning to bring the temperature back up.
Telling a man he has too many tools,
is like telling a woman she has too many shoes.
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#24
i am not the expert here so take it for what it is worth.  First all here were very helpful.  My AC has needed to be replaced for years and I knew that while my furnace was old it would probably be good to replace at the same time. So I have been watching this and some other forums for a couple years off and on trying to learn and get opinions.  Settings: 61-65 in winter, 76-78 in summer.  I have a furnace not a heat pump.  Maybe it is the installation but my sister has one in Arkansas and I was not impressed.  

My major concern was finding a unit that just runs and next is repairable.  So around here I crossed off geothermal and other options.  I have two furnaces, one in house one in shop (huge beast), gas water tank, gas stove and I logged on and pulled my bills for 36 months, just under $46.8+ average.

I got three quotes.  I searched out people that I felt were knowledgeable enough to have an idea if they did a good job and then called the companies I got recommendations for rather than blind calls.  The three quotes were all in the same approximate price range.  One installed Trane, which is what my old furnace was.  I'd always heard good about Trane when it was people talking, but on watching forums that is the brand that I did see a lot of negative comments, admittedly it is probably installed a lot.  Enough that it made me nervous and that was one concern I had.  Second guy was Lennox, I had heard good things about but was concerned about one comment I saw in a review, that they run great but parts can be hard to come by.  I found a site that had customer reviews and looked at the negative reviews, ignoring just plain negative comments, they all have them, but saw enough comments about #@! waiting for part to come in that I was leery.  Did not see this with Trane or the other brand I went with, a Heil, which I believe is owned by Carrier.  Interesting thing on the Heil was I went with the single stage and told the guy I was less interested in the high efficiency.  He said he could get me the 95% single stage cheaper then the lower % ones.  Don't know if it was volume or maybe pushing one model with the idea of killing off the lower and minimizing a line.
mark
Ignorance is bliss -- I'm very, very happy
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