"mheatley" wrote in message
news:Pa82b.247443$uu5.53007@sccrnsc04...
Probably the heat pump vs. standard a/c replacement debate was fairly worn
out some time ago in this NG, but the proof in the pudding should always
be
happy users. In Dallas, Texas where I live I am having trouble finding
them.
You would think anyone selling an upgrade from standard to a heat pump (my
pertinent specs below) would be walking in the door with ten customers to
call who had been on heat pumps at least one season. No so with the five
estimates I got (3 Trane, 1 Lennox, 1 American Standard dealer). Not one
offered references, with only one of those eventually coughing up three in
the "eleventh hour." Worse, in checking *his* references, only one was
actually a heat pump user, but useless as reference since the installation
was only two weeks old. Sorry, but this should not be that difficult an
exercise. (OK, so I picked a sorry time of the year when it's a zillion
degrees and A/C contractors are covered up here, but I had the same issue
on
an estimate back in Jan.) Anyway, I'm tempted to conclude from this
"reference reluctance" that heat pumps are not a good return on investment
for this region of Texas, maybe even inappropriate since cooling is a far
bigger factor than heating. The only people I have talked to so far 100%
in
support of HPs are the people who sell them! Something is not right. If
you are a sold-on-heat-pump user in *our* area (DFW) or, if you have had a
recent HP installation you regret, I would like to hear from you, either
way.

Thanks,

Mike (just-trying-to-understand) in Dallas

-existing setup, environment:
-all-electric home (no gas available)
-1600 square feet (includes a loft)
-day-nite (step child of Carrier) 4-ton standard ac
-18 years old
-using existing ducts
-return air surface only 638 square inches (I understand this may be
inadequate to get full efficiency from a heat pump)
-prefer a cool house in the winter (hardly ever over 65)
-prefer a cool house mostly at night in summer (typical Dallas summer
nights
are a muggy-hot 80+)
-inside vents are noisy (& concerned they may be even more so with a heat
pump.)
-lots of cooking in the kitchen, which is small & heats up very quickly

system we are considering:
-Trane 12 Seer Heat Pump 4-ton
-Variable Speed Air Handler
-Standard Filter (existing closet height won't accomodate 4-inch perfect
fit
media filter)
-$5800 installed (add $766 for 10-year warranty)

This is Turtle.

1) if your going with the veriable speed blowers do take the $766.00
warrenty for you will need it when you have to replace the $900.00 veriable
speed blower motor change out. Just like clock work your going to change it
out in less than 10 years.

2) If you live in D/FW area and have only electricity to have and no
natural gas access go heat pump for sure. The heap pump will save you about
30% over the straight electric heat and No I don't like to have to use heat
pumps but they do have their place in this industry. They have shorter lifes
and require more repairs down the road because of having more bells and
whisles on them.

3) You saying you have 638 sq. inches of return duct surfice for the
return air. I have never heard of any 4 ton system of any kind requiring
more than 600 sq. inches of return air duct size to be good.

4) The 4 tons of cooling sounds a little big but what was the heat load
calculation say?

5) The noise level for gas , heat pump , or straight electric system are
all about the same on noise levels at discharge of registers.

6) You say the kitchen area heats up quickly during cooking. The veriable
speed blower will take care of this.

7) The 4-inch Media filter. What is that your using here? A 1 inch media
filter will be just fine unless your wanting a clean room for putting
computor paerts together in it and don't want no air borne particals in the
air. A 4 inch will be over kill here for a home unless your name is Howard
Hughes and want everything spotless.

8) Heat pump verses a straight electric heat --- It all depend on your
electric company as to what you pay for electricity. If you choose a heat
pump. Take your elctric bill from last winter and subtract about 10% to 15%
from them and you will see your savings for putting in a heat pump and
paying more down the road for repairs. Judgement call here.

TURTLE