New Home - Replacing Two Goodman Units

[Lewcifer]

To Whom It May Concern:

I'd like to try and get some advice about my particular situation, since I'm not an HVAC expert by any means. I've purchased a new (2.5 year old) home... it was owned by the bank. The builder removed whatever HVAC there was, and put in a Goodman 3 ton for upstairs, and Goodman 5 ton for downstairs. They are both split systems, R22, gas heating and refrigerant cooling. It says 13 SEER on both units. Total square footage is 5,750 for indoor living space.

Here in Eagle (next to Boise), Idaho, it goes below freezing for maybe four weeks out of the year... and below 30 for only a week or so. I was told by two different local HVAC contractors that I should replace the units with a hybrid heat pump system. I'm not sure if I actually need hybrid (gas furnace for low temperatures)... or if just a high SEER R410a heat pump will do.

1) For a 3 and 5 ton residential split-system heat pump, can someone tell me what the highest SEER is that I could get?
2) If I had both of the R22 units (13 SEER) replaced with 18 SEER heat pumps, how much more efficient would that be in cooling? How about in heating?
3) Is this worth doing?
4) Can someone just give me general advice on what I should do, period?

Thank you in advance.

-Lew Payne

[Cold Feet]

First, why do you want to replace your Goodman units? There's typically no need to replace equipment that's only a few years old unless it was badly over- or under-sized for the house. Do you have a specific cooling/heating problem that needs addressing?


Hybrid heat is way overkill for your climate. Two heat pumps with electric backup heat will work fine.

[FSHS]

Simplicity is what you have purchase, if installed properly they will provide the comfort you desire.

[beenthere]

Highest SEER will vary by brand.

Before having heat pumps installed in place of your current A/C units.

Ask those contractors to do a operating cost comparison. And show you how long it will take to get a return on your investment.

No good to do the swap out, if it will take 15 years to recover the cost.

[udarrell]

"2) If I had both of the R22 units (13 SEER) replaced with 18 SEER (R410a) heat pumps, how much more efficient would that be in cooling? How about in heating?"
----
That would only be a rough guesstimate, every condition & situation is different including the quality of the install & setup, also the ductwork & airflow.

Eagle (next to Boise), Idaho.

Outdoor Winter Design is when using 99% @ 3-F; using 97.5% it's @ 10-F.

Summer Design is 94-F dry bulb, 64-F wet bulb, that's extremely dry at around 16.5% Relative Humidity, wow.

When you do eventually make the change, - that low a humidity bodes well for high SEER A/C equipment with a lot of indoor A/C airflow.

The air conditioning run-time hours per season is around 600 to 700 hours.

That is not many hours compared to southern TX at 2600 hours & southern FL at 2800 hours.

Once again, as always, it depends on the quality of the new install & set-up; if that is not top notch you could end up with far less efficiency than expected & costs thaqt would negate any difference in efficency ratings.

I would exercise caution; swapping units is never an absolute certain outcome & could fall far short of expectations.

Would it be wise to get some more seasons of heating & cooling from your existing good working Goodman equipment?

Return on investment, in respect to a specific user, has too many variables that can cause large variances on the ROI outcome. :det: - Darrell

[heaterman]

Being that the equipment in place now is so new and you don't have much of a bench mark to go by as far as how well the equipment will work, I would go along with Darrell's suggestion and see how it fares. As previously stated, actually savings realized as opposed to initial investment required may no play out well. Goodman equipment is not bad equipment as a rule, like any equipment installation is the important part. Have you had the system evaluated as a whole without inferring that you were considering a total change out?