"Mac Cool" wrote in message
...
I'm in North Carolina so the weather is relatively mild. I would like to
switch to a heat pump. According to http://hes.lbl.gov/hes/about.html, I
could conservatively save about $1600/year on heating alone. I was as
thorough as possible when completing the survey. Last year my hvac guy, a
friend of the family, told me I wouldn't recoup the cost of replacing the
propane but I'm spending thousands each winter on propane. My propane
company has kept the price right at the break even point with electric, or
a little higher when it gets cold. The central unit is 7-8 years old,
propane heat/electric ac.

I'm going to sit down and discuss this with him next week. What are my
concerns and what questions should I ask?

What part of NC ? I live near Charlotte and probably don't spend that much
on all the electricity I use. I have installed a Trane 2.5 ton heat pump
about 2 years ago with a 14 sear rating.
While it is just the two of us now, we keep the house at 75 in the summer
and 70 in the winter all night and day.

Not sure of the sqft of the house , but it has 2 bedrooms downstairs and 2
smaller ones with a full bath upstairs, We do keep the upstairs bed room
doors closed as they are not really being used now.
Also a basement for what it's worth.

YOu do need to be sure the insulation of the house is up to stuff and there
are no air leaks in the walls.