Heat Pump v. Propane Furnace

[njhusky]

Folks

I have a house in Vermont that currently is costing me a fortune to heat. It uses propane as the fuel source for the furnace. Hot water baseboard. When I purchased the house, propane was 1.25/gallon. I just got my most recent bill and it is now $5.25/gallon. at this price, I won't be able to heat the house.

Was wondering if someone can let me know if it would be more cost effective if I just installed a heat pump...plus, this way I get a/c

Any guidance would be appreciated. my heating bill is more than my mortgage payment...

[2old2rock]

Being in Vermont, I would assume you spend most of the winter below 30 degrees, and an air-source heat pump would only work down to about 30 degrees, so your back-up heat would be used quite often, and not really save you much.
I would seriously consider geo-thermal. Big up-front cost, but almost anything is cheaper than propane.
Propane costs for heating is REALLY expensive these days.

[njhusky]

2old...thanks for the feedback. I know that the heat pump won't work when it gets cold, but was thinking that it would at least limit how often the backup heat came on. woulldn't that provide some relief?

The problem with geothermal is $$...doesn't that cost upwards of 20k to install?

[2old2rock]

Think of it this way.
In my climate, we spend 3 months never seeing temps above 30 degrees.
When it's above 30, my gas usage is very low.
I considered a heat pump, but I calculated it would take 15-18 years for a return on the difference.
If I were in a milder climate, I would seriously look at a heat pump, but it just did not work for my area.
Now look at your monthly LP bill for heating. It will pretty much disappear with geo.
I'm thinking that the up-front cost of geo may be off-set rather quickly.
And you get A/C with the deal.
There are energy calculators available to determine an average cost of different systems. I'm just too lazy to find the link, but I'm sure someone here can post them.

[Gimmered]

If a heat pump is sized with heating in mind it can run well below 30°. My dual fuel is controlled strictly by my thermostat and doesn't switch to the natural gas backup until about 5°.

I enjoy very inexpensive electric rates so it still saves on my heating bill to stay on the heat pump.

[beenthere]

Have several dual fuel systems in, that the heat pump heats the house until 25 outside. Some down to 20 outside temp.

At $5.25 a gallon for propane, using a 95% efficient furnace. Straight electric resistance heat is cheaper, even if electric is 20.5 cents a KWH.

Might want to consider a heat pump with electric aux heat, unless your electric is higher then 21 cents a KW.

[Freezeking2000]

You will be very suprised how well a heat pump will do for you. Add glycol to the BB so the pipes wont freeze and run the heat pump as primary into the teen's.

[ox2h2o]

We have many options for your problem. Please follow this link.

[URL="http://www.daikinac.com/altherma"]


This is an air to water heatpump capible of extracting heat out of the air down to -4F(rated) w/ similar COP's to geo w/o the wells. It has a reverse chiller for a/c and gives you the option for domestic hot water as well.

[Freezeking2000]

If a heat pump is sized with heating in mind it can run well below 30°. My dual fuel is controlled strictly by my thermostat and doesn't switch to the natural gas backup until about 5°.

I enjoy very inexpensive electric rates so it still saves on my heating bill to stay on the heat pump.

I was running into the teems on my heat pump with no backup heat in my home.

Just added a Mitsubishi Hyper-heating 12K unit to the first floor and i should now be able to heat into single digits with no oil backup heat.

[jdaley]

I think this is an important part of the first post:

Hot water baseboard.

Given that you are using a boiler, your options are more limited than if the house had a forced air system. I am curious as to the efficiency of the boiler and what the rest of the house is like. Can you post a picture of the boiler? How old is the house? What is the insulation like? The windows?

In order to use a heat pump you are looking at a ductless system, or having ductwork installed (could be expensive if the basement is finished or it is a 2 or 3 storey house).

If it's a poorly weatherized house with a low efficiency boiler, you may be able to reduce your propane consumption considerably.

[Freezeking2000]

A couple of Hyper heat ductless heat pumps is the answer to reduce your propane bill and also give you some cooling in the summer.

[Rheem29]

How many Sq ft is your house? Is it wll insulated? Is it tight construction? How are your windows? Id start by doing a takeoff on your house making sure we size proper unit for your house. Can u get Natuaral gas where u live? Seeing that u have hot watr baseboard id go with a nice munchkin boiler. A heat pump in Vermont just dont sound right but with technology getting better everyday that day is probaly right around the corner.
Good luck to you.

[heatsolutions]

I'm not sure what the going rate for LP is where you're from but $5.25 sounds really high. I live in CA where energy costs are through the roof. Almost all my appliances run on LP as natural gas is not available in my area. I have never paid more than $3.00 a gallon for Propane (last fill 38 days ago $2.65/gal). Seems to me like you should shop for another propane provider.

Geothermal heat pump is a great idea though and will save you money in the long run. But if you can't afford it right now just find a better propane company