On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 08:48:55 -0700, Dick LeadWinger wrote:
On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 10:13:20 -0500, Astro wrote:
Here's an example. Numbers are based on my typical usage patterns when
temps are in the mid 30's.
non-discounted electric: $0.142/KWh
discounted electric: $0.11/KWh
daily usage before heat pump: 56KWh
usage with HP, 6 hours/day: 80KWh
electric cost, non-discounted: $239
HP cost, discounted: $264
actual cost to heat house using HP: $25.
If I were using oil as my primary heat, I'd still be paying the $239 for
electricity then add on top of that the oil costs and electricity to run
the circulators and burner. For me at current oil costs, this adds
$100+/month under the above conditions (i.e. 30+ degree weather). So,
roughly speaking, I would save $75/month during the winter.
Interesting numbers. I also looked at those costs when making a
decision on a dual-fuel heat pump vs our current gaspack. We have
timed electrical service where we live. You have to apply for it.
The meter measures power consumed during on-peak (9:00 A.M. to 9:00
P.M weekdays) and off-peak (week-day nights and week-ends.) The cost
varies slightly between summer and winter, but right now we are paying
$0.107/kwh on-peak, and $0.041/kwh off -peak. We try to shove as much
useage into off-peak as we can. Hot-tub heating, dish washing and
clothes washing are all done off-peak. We bring the house down to 65F
at night in the summer, so we set the thermostat to start cooling down
after 9:00 P.M. weekdays.
At the same time our natural gas runs as high as $1.14 per therm and
continues to climb. Our heating cost in the winter can be as high as
$200/month. By using the dual-fuel heat pump, I can heat the house
with electricity down to about 38F. Anything below that will require
natural gas. There is a large part of the year when our temperatures
are above 38F, but we still need heat. Whereas now we use natural gas
for all heating, I can limit it to those times we get below that.
Also, with a SEER rating of 12.0 vs the 8.0 we have now, cooling costs
will be significantly lower too. We should be getting our new system
within the next 2 or 3 weeks.
Dick
I went over the electric costs again today and found that my numbers were
in error. My providers have altered their rate plans quite a bit, so now,
after the first 600kwh, my electric is $0.061/kwh (after the first 600kwh
at normal rates) compared to $.125 non-discount. So the above numbers
should be $210 and $185 discounted rate, making it $25 cheaper to heat the
house with the heat pump than just the normal electric bill with no heat!
The savings then increase to about $150/month below regular electric + oil
heat.
Good luck on our new system. Let us know how it works out for you.
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