On Wed, 16 Feb 2005 22:36:44 -0600, "Greg O" wrote:

Easiest would be to stuff in a 90+ furnace, but I wonder if a DX heat pump
would not be a better choice, depending on your electric rates compared to
the price of gas.
Greg

The DX heat pump requires, as per the designer who did such an install for
the local food co-op, 800-900 linear feet of tubing, and we just don't have
the open yard for that with our present house, even in a slinky layout.
Drilling for vertical tubing installs would drive the cost waaay out of
bounds.

Natural gas is $1.15 per marginal 'therm'.

Electricity is going up real soon IIRC from 8.5 cents / Kw-Hr to at least
10.2 cents /Kw-Hr, and likely will increase again when the FY06 federal
budget mandates BPA raise its rates to 'market'.

I have also posted one dealer's bids on repair plus installs of three
different levels of efficiency, in a response to Mr Turtle's post. You may
find that data beneficial.

Thank you kindly.


--
Nobody but a fool goes into a federal counterrorism operation
without duct tape - Richard Preston, THE COBRA EVENT.
K7AAY John Bartley PDX, OR, USA http://kiloseven.blogspot.com
Opionions mine, all mine.