Should I get heat pump or gas pack in SC

[phareous]

Our 16-year old 2.5 ton 10 seer split a/c gas on our second floor is on its last legs with a freon leak. We replaced our 1st floor unit in 2007 with a 2 ton seer 13 gas pack. We have 1200 sq feet upstairs.

I am trying to decide what to get. Our electric bills are awful in the summer and not much better in the winter. Gas is really cheap right now and our winter gas bills last winter were under $90 but have gone over $300 in years past. Strictly going by gas prices I think I would come out better but gas could spike again someday in next 15 years while the high electric rates may stay more stable. I live south of Charlotte nc. Winter could rarely go down to 18f. I pay .965 per thermal and. 10193 per kwh.

I was looking at maybe a dual fuel heat pump with seer14...this would be an improvement on summer bills but maybe not on winter bills. I like a heat pump because we have a larger cooling need upstairs than heating since heat rises from first floor and I have heard heat pumps have better and heavier duty compressors for cooling. Is it possible to set a unit to use gas at say 55 degrees or something so it would be equivalent to a gas furnance, and then I could switch it back much lower if gas prices spike again? Does that sound crazy? Should I just go with a gas pack and deal with it if gas goes back up? We plan to stay at least 5 years but could stay longer.

[hcong]

You can get more heat with a gas pack... the heat pump will struggle to absorb heat from cooler temperatures.

What you are talking about is not crazy at all.. it is called a "hybrid heat pump"... I am sure other brands have them too.. but below is a link to a Carrier brand.

http://www.residential.carrier.com/knowledge/guides/hybridheat.shtml

[phareous]

Everything I have read though with hybrids is that they use Hp most of the time and natural gas when it is super cold. Can they be adjusted so they only use gas for heating in the times gas is cheaper than electricity? That would allow me to always use cheapest fuel except for the cases where it is too cold tor Hp and I would have to use gas regardless of gas price

[hcong]

Down on the bottom of the site's unit description:

"Controls

No matter which control best fits your needs, you can count on automatic control of your HYBRID HEAT dual fuel system. Your dealer will select a balance point that tells your control when it's best to select electric heat and when it's time to switch to furnace operation. As utility rates in your area change, this balance point can be easily adjusted by your installing dealer. To get the best efficiency from your system, we recommend taking advantage of the seven day programmability to select a comfort schedule custom-fit to your lifestyle."

So you can get someone to switch between the two...

[phareous]

Excellent...I guess I just have to decide if price of gad might go back up...if it doesn't I would have wasted money buying a heat pump over a gas pack

[hcong]

It is a gamble... Natural Gas dropped in value this year due to increasing supply and warmer winters that lowed demand. Also apparently we can't export NG yet, so it isn't subject to world market demand.

Anyway you could buy a gas furnace and then bet against yourself by buying NG futures... so if the price goes up you can cash out your investment, if gas prices go down then you can save money on electricity. This way you can stay a little more toasty in the winter and not have to pay for aux electric heat when it gets too cold.

[PalmettoMaintPro]

The biggest thing I tell people is we are in a damp environment down here in SC. So if you like a more moist heat then a heat pump is for you . If you like a dry hot heat ,than gas is for you. Hybrid heat sounds like a very good compromise of the two. I believe that a properly installed and maintained heat pump is a very good source of heating. With the addition of the hybrid heat it will be a great choice.

[catmanacman]

First off heat pumps and air conditioners use the same compressor ,dual fuel is a nice option but they cost more .on a dual fuel system to run on gas heat all you do is switch your thermostat to emergency heat ,most people think that emergency heat is only used in a emergency but not so you can run it permanent with no damage or problems