Heat pump .. cold house and high bills
 

I just moved into a house in SE PA in november and the temp around here has
dropped and I'm having a hard time getting my house warm. It has a heat
pump with a programmable thermostat.

Peco has told me my electric usage is really high. I'd almost be ok with
that, because I know its because the heat pump seems to be running day and
night, but the houses lower floor (no basement) rarely gets above 62 degrees
even though I set it to 69.

I've put new insulation around my doors and sealed the windows and can't
find heat escaping anywhere.

I'm not sure where to go from here. This is my first home. Do I call a
specialist for the heat pump? Do I have an audit done of the houses
electrical use? I didn't get the bills from the last owner, but peco has
told me that there is a significant difference from last year.

Is there a good heater that I can get for just my downstairs? What type
should I look at? I can't run anykind of exhaust because its a town home.
Are there closed systems that burn fuel?




Clueless in PA

In article ,
"Usenet text" wrote:

I just moved into a house in SE PA in november and the temp around here has
dropped and I'm having a hard time getting my house warm. It has a heat
pump with a programmable thermostat.

Peco has told me my electric usage is really high. I'd almost be ok with
that, because I know its because the heat pump seems to be running day and
night, but the houses lower floor (no basement) rarely gets above 62 degrees
even though I set it to 69.

I've put new insulation around my doors and sealed the windows and can't
find heat escaping anywhere.

I'm not sure where to go from here. This is my first home. Do I call a
specialist for the heat pump? Do I have an audit done of the houses
electrical use? I didn't get the bills from the last owner, but peco has
told me that there is a significant difference from last year.

Is there a good heater that I can get for just my downstairs? What type
should I look at? I can't run anykind of exhaust because its a town home.
Are there closed systems that burn fuel?




Clueless in PA




Have Peco do an audit

In article ,
"Usenet text" wrote:

I'm not sure where to go from here. This is my first home. Do I call a
specialist for the heat pump? Do I have an audit done of the houses
electrical use? I didn't get the bills from the last owner, but peco has
told me that there is a significant difference from last year.

Yes, call a specialist. Your heat pump may need to be recharged.
Then again, here in Minnesota, it is too cold to use a heat
pump for heating. They can only do a certain level of temperature
change. You may need to install a real furnace or put in some
supplemental electrical registers. I bet the heat pump is running
too cold to be useful, so it just sits there chugging along all
day doing next to nothing.

An energy audit would be a 2nd step, not the cure. I see that
my gas company is offering a $25 energy audit, and a $100
intensive audit. I am not sure what the difference is.

-john-

--
================================================== ====================
John A. Weeks III 952-432-2708
Newave Communications http://www.johnweeks.com
================================================== ====================

"Usenet text" wrote in message
...
I just moved into a house in SE PA in november and the temp around here
has
dropped and I'm having a hard time getting my house warm. It has a heat
pump with a programmable thermostat.

Peco has told me my electric usage is really high. I'd almost be ok with
that, because I know its because the heat pump seems to be running day and
night, but the houses lower floor (no basement) rarely gets above 62
degrees
even though I set it to 69.

I've put new insulation around my doors and sealed the windows and can't
find heat escaping anywhere.

I'm not sure where to go from here. This is my first home. Do I call a
specialist for the heat pump? Do I have an audit done of the houses
electrical use? I didn't get the bills from the last owner, but peco has
told me that there is a significant difference from last year.

Is there a good heater that I can get for just my downstairs? What type
should I look at? I can't run anykind of exhaust because its a town home.
Are there closed systems that burn fuel?




Clueless in PA



I think you have two problems. First, the heat pump is not operating
efficiently and probably needs to be recharged. Second it sounds like the
heat pump is never switching to resistance heat when there are low outdoor
temperatures. You need a heat pump technician to verify that the heat pump
is operating properly.

How old is the heat pump ? If it is old and needs major repairs it may be
more cost efficient to replace it with a newer, more energy efficient model.
Have you talked with your neighbors about their heat pumps? Is PECO
charging you the half price winter RH electric rate ?

"Usenet text" wrote in message
...
I just moved into a house in SE PA in november and the temp around here
has
dropped and I'm having a hard time getting my house warm. It has a heat
pump with a programmable thermostat.

Peco has told me my electric usage is really high. I'd almost be ok with
that, because I know its because the heat pump seems to be running day and
night, but the houses lower floor (no basement) rarely gets above 62
degrees
even though I set it to 69.

I've put new insulation around my doors and sealed the windows and can't
find heat escaping anywhere.

I'm not sure where to go from here. This is my first home. Do I call a
specialist for the heat pump? Do I have an audit done of the houses
electrical use? I didn't get the bills from the last owner, but peco has
told me that there is a significant difference from last year.

Is there a good heater that I can get for just my downstairs? What type
should I look at? I can't run anykind of exhaust because its a town home.
Are there closed systems that burn fuel?




Clueless in PA




I'll bet your house is relatively new. Builders around here are (SE Pa)
notorious for undersizing heat pumps. We were lucky- the previous owners
replaced the original heat pump with one sized properly, and we are warm in
the winter and cold in the summer. Other people in our development complain
about inadequate heat in houses similar to ours. Resistance heat kicks in on
occasion- usually only when the unit goes into defrost mode and/or it's ~10
degrees or less outside. Also, make sure PECO has you on the RH rate instead
of the R rate. As a heat pump owner, you qualify, and the savings in the
winter are huge aftter the first 500 or 600 kWh (I forget which) per month.
You pay a teensy bit more in the summer, but it really is nominal.

Its 10 years old...

I have a 1600 sq ft house.. How much can a new one run?
"dane" wrote in message
news:1106967463.3d5bddc88f415fde9ba6829e02546179@b ubbanews...
"Usenet text" wrote in message
...
I just moved into a house in SE PA in november and the temp around here
has
dropped and I'm having a hard time getting my house warm. It has a heat
pump with a programmable thermostat.

Peco has told me my electric usage is really high. I'd almost be ok with
that, because I know its because the heat pump seems to be running day
and
night, but the houses lower floor (no basement) rarely gets above 62
degrees
even though I set it to 69.

I've put new insulation around my doors and sealed the windows and can't
find heat escaping anywhere.

I'm not sure where to go from here. This is my first home. Do I call a
specialist for the heat pump? Do I have an audit done of the houses
electrical use? I didn't get the bills from the last owner, but peco
has
told me that there is a significant difference from last year.

Is there a good heater that I can get for just my downstairs? What type
should I look at? I can't run anykind of exhaust because its a town
home.
Are there closed systems that burn fuel?




Clueless in PA



I think you have two problems. First, the heat pump is not operating
efficiently and probably needs to be recharged. Second it sounds like the
heat pump is never switching to resistance heat when there are low outdoor
temperatures. You need a heat pump technician to verify that the heat pump
is operating properly.

How old is the heat pump ? If it is old and needs major repairs it may be
more cost efficient to replace it with a newer, more energy efficient
model.
Have you talked with your neighbors about their heat pumps? Is PECO
charging you the half price winter RH electric rate ?