help deciding between heat pump and a/c

15 years ago

My situation- I am currently in the process of looking to upgrade an old gas furnace with a new high efficient one and adding either a heat pump or a/c unit. I had a very helpful Lennox dealer give me some options and he seemed to be leaning towards the a/c unit but not heavily. With that being said I live in Western Washington about an hour north of Seattle and have a 1650 square foot home.

The furnace that was recommended was a G71mpp-36b-070 variable speed. $5100 installed. Also mentioned was the SLP98V for $900 more. ( i am pretty content with 1st option)

INCLUDED ARE:

One Honeywell, Pestige IAQ, Color Hi-Def Touchscreen --Programmable Thermostat.

One Lennox, 2.5 to 3 Ton R-410A Evaporator Coil with TXV Metering Valve, model CR33-30/36A-F

Fittings to Retrofit existing ductwork to new Furnace

The heat pump was the xp-14 $4900 installed

and the a/c unit was the xc-13 for $3500.

or xc-14 for $550 more.

NOTE:this is through costco so I would be getting a $1000 rebate card (roughly 10%) with xc-14 a/c or heat pump. A $900 rebate with xc13 a/c unit

We only need a/c maybe 6 weeks out of the year up here so I am slightly leaning towards the heat pump option due to overall operating costs coupled with the fact it would give me the option to use electric heat or the gas furnace if needed.

Now for the questions

Are these prices reasonable?

Should I go with heat pump or A/C? What are the deciding factors for those responding?

If going with a/c, is it worth upgrading to the xc-14 for the little amount of time it would be used?

Thanks in advance to any and all answers,help and comments.

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Comments (11)

jfitz73
Original Author
15 years ago
sorry one last furnace option which would be the lennox SL280 which is only 80% AFUE compared to 95% but if going with the heat pump option this might be a good choice since it will only kick on a couple weeks out of the year. It is $4280 installed instead of $5100
deanmcenaney_hotmail_com
15 years ago
we live in everett and are looking at similiar options for a 1700 sq ft house.
from wa energy services have a quote with a
York LX-1 TM8V furnace and a York 1 Stage 2.5 ton LX 14.5 Heat pump all total for $7341.52

(they are having a 50% off the ac or heat pump with furnace purchase thru march promo)

Seems to be lower than your total cost of about $10,000 total for furnace and heat pump

Plus I think you will actually use the cooling more than 6 weeks.
(my quote also included complete home ductwork cleaning)
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jfitz73
Original Author
15 years ago
What made you go with a heat pump over an A/C unit?
If I downgraded my furnace to one similar to yours plus the rebate from Costco it would be pretty comparable in price. I am assuming the Thermostat and all the other misc items are included in your price.
Do the models you chose qualify for the tax rebate?
tigerdunes
15 years ago
jfitz

what size furnace and AC do you have now?

post your nat gas and electric rates.

what size AC and HP condenser is Lennox dealer quoting?

has Lennox dealer told you that the G71MPP furnace has been discontinued?

I am not a fan of Lennox.the pricing seems to be on high side but not certain what extra work has been quoted other than the basics. New refrigerant lineset included?

I personally think the sweet spot for your area/climate is an 80% two stg var speed furnace paired with a high eff heat pump.

don't kid yourself. you are paying for the Costco rebate gift card.

you need other quotes.

IMO
deanmcenaney_hotmail_com
15 years ago
Looks like natural gas is 1.08 per therm thru puget sound energy and electric is .08362 per KWH

used 819 KWH for Feb for $68.48 charge
and 54.2 therms of gas for $71.50

If I go the heat pump route my electric will go up and natural gas will go down (water heater is natural gas also) so is part of the charge.

Also going with the downgraded furnace since the heat pump will do most of the work anyway - $300 tax rebate with heat pump and $2000 savings for march heat pump special thru washington energy services
seatonheating
15 years ago
To jfitz,

Shoot me an email. We do tons of dual-fuel heat pump systems in greater Seattle area and would love an opportunity to bid on your project and we regularly find things that other big companies miss.

Email is josh at phoenixqualityheating dot com, or you can check out our website at www dot phoenixqualityheating dot com.

Thanks
jfitz73
Original Author
15 years ago
tigerdunes,
I do not currently have an a/c unit. He did tell me the G71 is being discontinued. I have thought about going with the
SL280 which is 80% AFUE, but if going with the heat pump i can only assume i will be using this furnace a couple weeks out of the year so it should not reall matter with the lower afue. But on the flip side isn't that counter productive when I am trying to go with a duel fuel source to hedge again energy costs. I think the rates above are petty accurate as I don't have them handy at this moment. I also realize the costco rebate is not free but might come in handy when negotiating prices. Thanks for your help.
jfitz73
Original Author
15 years ago
tigerdunes,
My current furnace is a Corsairs by rheem (real cheap looking and about 12 years old.)
The size of the quoted a/c or heat pump is a 2 ton
tigerdunes
15 years ago
jfitz

start with a professionally performed load calculation for both heating and cooling at outside design temps and your inside design temp.

ductwork will need a thorough inspection.

if you do decide on the G71 mod furnace, you definitely don't need a HP. If you go 80% two stg var speed furnace, then I would consider pairing with heat pump.

as stated previously, your prices are high especially for a discontinued furnace. The Costco gift card is nothing more than a gimmick that serves them not you.

IMO
jfitz73
Original Author
15 years ago
Ultimately I am looking for cooling my house during the summer months. If i do go with the G71 would you think the going the a/c route is better?
With that being said I would consider going with the G71 and a heat pump to hedge against gas/electric prices in the future, this way I can use what ever one is going to give me the best savings.
seatonheating
15 years ago
jfitz,

Still waiting for that email from ya, Dean as well. Stay away from Washington Energy Services. They are in no way affiliated with anything official and they will overcharge you.

Tigerdunes is giving some very good advice. Things that we abide by religiously.