Are Heat Pump & Air Handler a good call for Seattle?

10 years ago

last modified: 10 years ago

I had a maintenance job done today on my 15 year old Trane XL80. I asked about getting AC installed in my home (1920s small craftsman style in Seattle). The technician strongly advocated doing with a Mitsubishi system consisting of a heat pump and air handler, connecting into the existing duct system in my home. The units he recommended were a puz-ha30nha4 pump, and Pva-a30aa4 air handler. The house is 1800 square feet (half in finished basement, half on main floor). The subtext here is that he felt my current furnace was aging and would make sense to update if adding AC.

My questions are:

1. Is this a good choice for pacific northwest?
2. Is this a good choice of equipment in terms of quality?

He gave me a quote for this system, installed, and also for a comparable spec system that was made by Lennox (SLP98UH furnace + XP25 heat pump). The Lennox came in about $5,000 higher.
Thanks for any thoughts you can share.

Featured Answer

User

10 years ago

last modified: 10 years ago

I don't recall the energy rates at the moment. I am more concerned with whether the Mitsubishi offering is regarded as a "Quality" offering, and whether the price I was quoted for the job is reasonable or out of whack.

Yes, Mitsubishi is a quality unit. You never posted the price quoted, only the additional amount for the Lennox system.

Your climate is pretty mild, so a heat pump would perform well. However, find your gas and electricity rates. They are the most important factor in this decision. In my area, electricity is expensive relative to natural gas, so the only time it makes sense to get a heat pump is if you don't have natural gas service. In other areas though, it can make sense to get a heat pump, even if you have natural gas.

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Comments (9)

tigerdunes
10 years ago
Tell us about your typical winters and summers?...how is your home's building and insulation qualities?...what is your electric and nat gas rates?...you have conventional AC now?

post back

IMO
weedmeister
10 years ago
Seattle and its surroundings are full of micro-climates. In one direction you can have feet of snow, in another never see any at all.

But otherwise, a heat pump can do ok since it never gets all that cold (in the 30s, occasionally upper 20s, again depending on where you are).

When I lived there, electric rates were really really cheap. Not so much now I think.
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User
Original Author
10 years ago
Sorry that I wasn't clearer about climate. Seattle proper (in the city) rarely sees more than a few days in the 20s per year. And in summer we typically only have a few weeks in the 90s (though it's been getting more frequent lately).

The house is pretty well insulated and has new windows that are high efficiency. we have no air conditioning now. just the furnace for heat with ducted system. we'd want to do a ducted air cooling as well, rather than install individual zone units.

I don't recall the energy rates at the moment. I am more concerned with whether the Mitsubishi offering is regarded as a "Quality" offering, and whether the price I was quoted for the job is reasonable or out of whack.
mike_home
10 years ago
Why is the technician "strongly advocating" throwing away your perfectly good Trane gas furnace and replacing it with a Mitsubishi min split and air handler combo? Mostly likely because it means a commission for him.

In most parts of the country it is cheaper to heat with natural gas than a heat pump. You need to look at the rates to calculate the operating costs.

If you plan to move in the next 5 years, I would suggest adding a Trane condenser and coil to your furnace. If you are going to be there another 10 years, then I would rather see you get a high efficiency Trane or Carrier furnace and AC condenser. The Lennox furnace and heat pump make no sense. That is a waste of money in my opinion.
User
Original Author
10 years ago
that is very helpful. thank you! i plan on being in my home for the long haul. just moved there a year ago, and am trying to do all the things to make it the best home it can be.
AvatarWalt
10 years ago
Are you me? I haven't made a decision, and I'm not sure how to make a sensible comparison of operating costs, especially since we have solar panels that will reduce electricity expense. I like the touted efficiency of the whole-house heat pump and the ability of one unit to do all of the heating and cooling (plus a bit of fun technology), so I'm leaning towards that, but the added cost gives me pause. If you learn more from other sources, updates would be appreciated!
User
Original Author
10 years ago
Here's what I find on the websites, though I don't fully understand how to compute it all out:

Electric (winter rates) - Seattle City Light1st block-10/16
kWh/day
0.0596
2nd block-over 10/16 kWh/day
0.1257
Base Service Chg/day
0.1483

Natural Gas - Puget Sound Energy

DELIVERY CHARGE 0.438290/therm
GAS COST 0.595240/therm
OTHER GAS CHARGES & CREDIT 0.011580/therm
djmarb
10 years ago
I've lived in Seattle my whole life. I've only had electric baseboards or a gas furnace. Gas has always been cheaper for me, but I've never had a heat pump.