Adding Heat Pump to Existing Oil System??

18 years ago

I have a 1350sf ranch in Rhode Island with a well-maintained and efficient (82% last time we had it evaluated) Thermopride oil furnace (FHA). I do not have central A/C, but I have the go ahead to look into it. I have spent some time on these boards trying to familiarize myself so that I can make a somewhat educated decision on A/C.

One of the things that I has peaked my interest, especially as I try to plan my winter heating budget, is a heat pump. I have run the warmair.com estimate based on my .17kWh electric rate and it is an incredible difference. Based on the $500-$1000 price difference between straight AC and a heat pump, I might be able to break even in the first year.

My question is can my existing oil furnace be my "backup" to the heat pump, so that when it gets too cold, the oil pops on and does the heating. Or will I need a new furnace to act as my back up?

Thank you for you wisdom

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Comments (2)

tigerdunes
18 years ago
meuseman

absolutely!

I assume nat gas is not available.

ductwork is in place? I recommend it be inspected as to overall condition, size, insulation qualities, leaks, supply/return, etc. you will need a dealer familiar with HPs, dual fuel, and a good stat/control that can handle the switchover from oil to HP and vice versa. Sizing of HP is important as you want to take full advantage of the relative cheap electricity vs price of oil for winter heating. Ask dealer what the your blower size is rated.

I am not familiar with RI winters but you might want to check the feasibility of just chucking the oil furnace all together. I would suspect HP with electric backup to be less expensive than running the oil furnace backup. Just a thought. Keep in mind though that you don't get that nice toasty winter heat with a HP but neither will you have to take a second mortgage to pay for the oil. Everything has trade-offs.

Check with electric utility and see if they offer any rate incentive for electric HP heating.

IMO
Good Luck!
meuseman
Original Author
18 years ago
tiger,

no nat gas on the street, ductwork is in place.

one of my worries is that heat pumps are not necessarily popular in this part of the country, so i might have a tougher time finding a contractor that is a duel fuel expert.

house is south facing with full afternoon sun. would placement of the heat pump affect is effectivness/efficiency?

with the price of oil, my winter heating has not been described as "toasty" for a while :)

thanks for the advice! any other opinions?
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