My daughter is complaining about high heat bills. i bet the elect
resistence elect coil is on a lot. how do i tell when the coil comes
on? and how do you turn it off? what turns it on? when temp is
below 32? if compressor is ok, why would coil come on? she had the
system checked and they said ok. wonder if they checked out operation
of coils. thanks for any insight. bill in Maryland

"bill" wrote in message
...
My daughter is complaining about high heat bills. i bet the elect
resistence elect coil is on a lot. how do i tell when the coil comes
on? and how do you turn it off? what turns it on? when temp is
below 32? if compressor is ok, why would coil come on? she had the
system checked and they said ok. wonder if they checked out operation
of coils. thanks for any insight. bill in Maryland

One big thing to watch for with a heat pump is turning it up and down. Does
she change the temperature or just sets it at one place and leaves it there.
Most of the time the heat strips will come on if you go up about 3 or 4
degrees at one time.

On Jan 30, 6:44 pm, "Ralph Mowery" wrote:
"bill" wrote in message

...

My daughter is complaining about high heat bills. i bet the elect
resistence elect coil is on a lot. how do i tell when the coil comes
on? and how do you turn it off? what turns it on? when temp is
below 32? if compressor is ok, why would coil come on? she had the
system checked and they said ok. wonder if they checked out operation
of coils. thanks for any insight. bill in Maryland

One big thing to watch for with a heat pump is turning it up and down. Does
she change the temperature or just sets it at one place and leaves it there.
Most of the time the heat strips will come on if you go up about 3 or 4
degrees at one time.

Yes! That is a major drawback in some circumstances.
I used to have all-electric. The thermostat fortunately did have a
light to indicate when the electric backup was on. I'd turn the heat
down quite a ways when I was gone. Upon return, I'd turn it up just a
few degrees at a time, keeping the electric backup from coming on. I
eventually got around that by putting a toggle switch on the
thermostat. The backup would only come on when I wanted to let it; I
could set the heat to warm up however far I wanted without worrying
about the electric backup.

"bill" wrote in message
...
My daughter is complaining about high heat bills. i bet the elect
resistence elect coil is on a lot. how do i tell when the coil comes
on? and how do you turn it off? what turns it on? when temp is
below 32? if compressor is ok, why would coil come on? she had the
system checked and they said ok. wonder if they checked out operation
of coils. thanks for any insight. bill in Maryland

The electric heaters come on when the room temperature (at the thermostat)
falls more than a few degrees below the set point. They also come on when
the heat pump (outside unit) goes into defrost.

In some installation, the thermostat has a lamp that comes on when the
resistance heating is being called for.

My system came with a total of 60 amps (about 15kw) of available resistance
heating. In my case, it was easly to arrange things so that only 20 amps
of resistance heating would be switched on. Obviously, when it gets VERY
cold outside, the inside temperature sags! It's a question of money vr.
comfort.

We compromise with a combination of LPG ventless heaters and small electric
heaters that give some extra heat where the people are.

The quick and dirty way to save money is to turn the thermostat down to,
say, 60 or 65 and use small electric heaters (750 watts) where you want the
extra heat like when you are watching TV. Waterbed heaters and electric
blankets also make it possible to be comfortable when the house as a whole
is on the chilly side.

I agree with the other poster who said that you should pick a thermostat
setting and leave it alone. Timers cause more problems than they solve
when you have a heat pump.

I agree with the other poster who said that you should pick a thermostat
setting and leave it alone. * *Timers cause more problems than they solve
when you have a heat pump.

This is a very timely conversation for me. I just replaced my aging
heat pump with one of the top of the line Carrier units. The
literature estimated I could save as much as 60% over the 10 year old
unit. (BS of course) Last months electric bill just came in and I used
more electricity than the same period last year. Temps have not been
unusual this year. This unit came with a set back thermostat and I
drop the temps overnight about 8 degrees. As you can imagine the heat
strips kick in when it tries to bring the temps back up to daytime
levels. I was wondering if I was wasting more power than I was saving
by running the unit this way. Is there any temp setback that might
give you some savings or is it really best to leave it fixed?

Rich B
www.beachtradingco.com

On Jan 30, 7:34*pm, bill wrote:
My daughter is complaining about high heat bills. *i bet the elect
resistence elect coil is on a lot. * how do i tell when the coil comes
on? *and how do you turn it off? *what turns it on? *when temp is
below 32? * if compressor is ok, why would coil come on? * she had the
system checked and they said ok. *wonder if they checked out operation
of coils. * *thanks for any insight. * bill *in Maryland

Face it, heat pumps are the most ignorant system ever developed and
suffer from a basic design fault. The lower the temperature, the less
efficient they become and nothing will help the electric bill from
skyrocketing. Heat pumps are ONLY effective in the few southern
states where the temperature does NOT go below 40 degrees for any
extended length of time. Below 32 degrees, they are a total joke.

In article ,
"John Gilmer" wrote:

My system came with a total of 60 amps (about 15kw) of available resistance
heating. In my case, it was easly to arrange things so that only 20 amps
of resistance heating would be switched on. Obviously, when it gets VERY
cold outside, the inside temperature sags! It's a question of money vr.
comfort.

I didn't install any resistance heating, just a clock that runs when the
system wants to turn it on. I light the wood stove instead :0

Free men own guns - www(dot)geocities(dot)com/CapitolHill/5357/

On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:05:30 -0800 (PST), BobR
wrote:

Face it, heat pumps are the most ignorant system ever developed and
suffer from a basic design fault. The lower the temperature, the less
efficient they become and nothing will help the electric bill from
skyrocketing. Heat pumps are ONLY effective in the few southern
states where the temperature does NOT go below 40 degrees for any
extended length of time. Below 32 degrees, they are a total joke.

With all due respect, Bob, a properly sized heat pump can continue to
provide economical heat at temperatures well below 0C or 32F.

The Nova Scotia Department of Energy has a chart that compares the
operating costs of various heating systems and an air source heat pump
with a HSPF of 6.5 (COP of 1.9) is shown to be less expensive than
electric heat, oil, propane and wood pellet, and competitive with that
of a mid-efficiency natural gas furnace.

See:
http://www.conservens.ca/consumerinf...ostcomparisons

For an older home with a heat demand of 80 MMBTUs per year, the cost
of electric baseboard heat is said to be $2,851.10; that same home
equipped with new oil-fired boiler operating at 83% AFUE is $2,559.71
and a condensing propane unit with an AFUE of 93% will set you back a
whopping $3,372.12. By comparison, the annual operating costs of an
air source heat pump are $1,500.58.

Note that the numbers for oil and propane heat are based on fuel cost
of $0.85 per litre and, at this time, oil and propane are running at
$0.95 and $1.05 a litre respectively, so the relative performance of
an air source heat pump is even better than what's shown here. Note
too that our winters are comparable those of Minnesota (e.g.,
Minneapolis-St. Paul at 7,882 HDD, versus Halifax, N.S. at 7,861 and
Truro, N.S. at 8,132 HDD), so this isn't exactly what you'd call a
"southern" climate. Finally, a mid range heat pump with a HSPF of 8.5
would be 30 per cent more energy efficient than the one used in this
example.

Cheers,
Paul

On Jan 31, 2:23*pm, Bubba wrote:
On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:05:30 -0800 (PST), BobR

wrote:
On Jan 30, 7:34*pm, bill wrote:
My daughter is complaining about high heat bills. *i bet the elect
resistence elect coil is on a lot. * how do i tell when the coil comes
on? *and how do you turn it off? *what turns it on? *when temp is
below 32? * if compressor is ok, why would coil come on? * she had the
system checked and they said ok. *wonder if they checked out operation
of coils. * *thanks for any insight. * bill *in Maryland

Face it, heat pumps are the most ignorant system ever developed and
suffer from a basic design fault. *The lower the temperature, the less
efficient they become and nothing will help the electric bill from
skyrocketing. *Heat pumps are ONLY effective in the few southern
states where the temperature does NOT go below 40 degrees for any
extended length of time. *Below 32 degrees, they are a total joke.

Nice to know you are so fuquering stupid BobR. Get a clue and a brain
and come back when you actually know something useful.
Heat pumps work very well. Mine heats my home until about 17-18
degrees outside. Then it starts losing temperature so the back-up heat
kicks in. I'll sell you a home with straight electric heat and I'll
take the same EXACT home except I get a heat pump. We'll compare bills
each month. You'll be hurting.
Bubba

Comparing the Heatless Pump to pure electric heat might be a valid
point but comparing to Natural Gas or even propane is a damn joke.
Yes, mine also heats down to 17-18 degrees but in order to do so it
must run almost continously and the electric bill for winter heating
is double my bill for cooling in July and I live in DALLAS where it
doesn't really get all that cold but it does get that hot. I have had
it checked, checked, and checked again and even the Air Conditioning
people admit that they are worthless pieces of crap.

On Jan 31, 7:46*pm, Bubba wrote:
On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:43:35 -0800 (PST), BobR





wrote:
On Jan 31, 2:23*pm, Bubba wrote:
On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:05:30 -0800 (PST), BobR

wrote:
On Jan 30, 7:34*pm, bill wrote:
My daughter is complaining about high heat bills. *i bet the elect
resistence elect coil is on a lot. * how do i tell when the coil comes
on? *and how do you turn it off? *what turns it on? *when temp is
below 32? * if compressor is ok, why would coil come on? * she had the
system checked and they said ok. *wonder if they checked out operation
of coils. * *thanks for any insight. * bill *in Maryland

Face it, heat pumps are the most ignorant system ever developed and
suffer from a basic design fault. *The lower the temperature, the less
efficient they become and nothing will help the electric bill from
skyrocketing. *Heat pumps are ONLY effective in the few southern
states where the temperature does NOT go below 40 degrees for any
extended length of time. *Below 32 degrees, they are a total joke.

Nice to know you are so fuquering stupid BobR. Get a clue and a brain
and come back when you actually know something useful.
Heat pumps work very well. Mine heats my home until about 17-18
degrees outside. Then it starts losing temperature so the back-up heat
kicks in. I'll sell you a home with straight electric heat and I'll
take the same EXACT home except I get a heat pump. We'll compare bills
each month. You'll be hurting.
Bubba

Comparing the Heatless Pump to pure electric heat might be a valid
point but comparing to Natural Gas or even propane is a damn joke.
Yes, mine also heats down to 17-18 degrees but in order to do so it
must run almost continously and the electric bill for winter heating
is double my bill for cooling in July and I live in DALLAS where it
doesn't really get all that cold but it does get that hot. *I have had
it checked, checked, and checked again and even the Air Conditioning
people admit that they are worthless pieces of crap.

Yes, around 20 or so outside it seems to run 24/7 or something like
that, HOWEVER........................
The next time it is that cold out, go out and wrap and amperage meter
clamp around the run or common terminal of the compressor and not the
amperage draw.
Now, wait till it is 95 outside or some sweat busting temperature like
that and measure that same wire with your amp meter.
BIG difference.
Heat pumps work if installed correctly paying careful attention to
equipment sizing and duct sizing.
No, its not as warm as gas, oil or propane but saves tremendously for
those that only have the option of electric.
Bubba- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

A heat pump using ground heat and cooling would probably be as
effective as anything available, gas or otherwise. The problem with
the heat pump and most air conditioners is the reliance on ambient air
temperatures which are totally ineffective at the time they need to be
the most effective. The colder it gets, the more you need the heat
and the less it is available. Likewise, when its super hot outside,
you can't get any cooling out of the hot air. The only really
effective method would be to bury the evaporator coils deep in the
ground where the ambient temperature will remain almost constant.

That system is now gaining acceptance in many areas and is proving
both effective and cheaper. Unfortunately, nobody in my area knows
crap about it and even if they did, the soil around here is so
unstable that it may prove ineffective.

Bill,

Feel free to offer this factual information about air-to-air heat
pumps
to
your bloggers.

1) Heat pump installations work best in locations where the heating
load in
winter nearly matches the cooling load in summer. This is usually not
the
case.

2) Heat pumps work best when maintaining a constant set point (i.e. no
drastic set point changes or night setback).

3) A heat pump cannot supply all the heat a building will need except
in
warmer climates without supplementary resistance heat. A heat pump is
basically a cooling unit and is typically sized for that purpose. Over
sizing
the unit to gain heating capacity will result in poor summer
operation.
The
oversized unit will short cycle, causing inadequate humidity control.

4) It is essential that the defrost cycle be working properly or
airflow will
be restricted through the outside coil at below freezing temperatures
lowering heat transfer and efficiency.

5) The resistance heat is in use during the defrost cycle.

6) Heat pump efficiency is mathematically greater than electrical
resistance
heat when it's warm outside. Coefficient of Performance for heat pumps
are
rated at 47 degrees F.

7) A heat pumps capacity, hence its efficiency drops as outside air
temperature drops. Efficiency drops rapidly below 32 degrees F.

8) Heat loss from a building goes up as outside temperature drops.

9) The key to greater heat pump performance is capacity selection
(sizing).
See 1 and 3 above.

10) The most energy efficient heating or cooling system is the one
that's not
operating. Insulate and lower the set point.




On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 18:09:02 -0800 (PST), BobR
wrote:

On Jan 31, 7:46Â*pm, Bubba wrote:
On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:43:35 -0800 (PST), BobR





wrote:
On Jan 31, 2:23Â*pm, Bubba wrote:
On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:05:30 -0800 (PST), BobR

wrote:
On Jan 30, 7:34Â*pm, bill wrote:
My daughter is complaining about high heat bills. Â*i bet the elect
resistence elect coil is on a lot. Â* how do i tell when the coil comes
on? Â*and how do you turn it off? Â*what turns it on? Â*when temp is
below 32? Â* if compressor is ok, why would coil come on? Â* she had the
system checked and they said ok. Â*wonder if they checked out operation
of coils. Â* Â*thanks for any insight. Â* bill Â*in Maryland

Face it, heat pumps are the most ignorant system ever developed and
suffer from a basic design fault. Â*The lower the temperature, the less
efficient they become and nothing will help the electric bill from
skyrocketing. Â*Heat pumps are ONLY effective in the few southern
states where the temperature does NOT go below 40 degrees for any
extended length of time. Â*Below 32 degrees, they are a total joke.

Nice to know you are so fuquering stupid BobR. Get a clue and a brain
and come back when you actually know something useful.
Heat pumps work very well. Mine heats my home until about 17-18
degrees outside. Then it starts losing temperature so the back-up heat
kicks in. I'll sell you a home with straight electric heat and I'll
take the same EXACT home except I get a heat pump. We'll compare bills
each month. You'll be hurting.
Bubba

Comparing the Heatless Pump to pure electric heat might be a valid
point but comparing to Natural Gas or even propane is a damn joke.
Yes, mine also heats down to 17-18 degrees but in order to do so it
must run almost continously and the electric bill for winter heating
is double my bill for cooling in July and I live in DALLAS where it
doesn't really get all that cold but it does get that hot. Â*I have had
it checked, checked, and checked again and even the Air Conditioning
people admit that they are worthless pieces of crap.

Yes, around 20 or so outside it seems to run 24/7 or something like
that, HOWEVER........................
The next time it is that cold out, go out and wrap and amperage meter
clamp around the run or common terminal of the compressor and not the
amperage draw.
Now, wait till it is 95 outside or some sweat busting temperature like
that and measure that same wire with your amp meter.
BIG difference.
Heat pumps work if installed correctly paying careful attention to
equipment sizing and duct sizing.
No, its not as warm as gas, oil or propane but saves tremendously for
those that only have the option of electric.
Bubba- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

A heat pump using ground heat and cooling would probably be as
effective as anything available, gas or otherwise. The problem with
the heat pump and most air conditioners is the reliance on ambient air
temperatures which are totally ineffective at the time they need to be
the most effective. The colder it gets, the more you need the heat
and the less it is available. Likewise, when its super hot outside,
you can't get any cooling out of the hot air. The only really
effective method would be to bury the evaporator coils deep in the
ground where the ambient temperature will remain almost constant.

That system is now gaining acceptance in many areas and is proving
both effective and cheaper. Unfortunately, nobody in my area knows
crap about it and even if they did, the soil around here is so
unstable that it may prove ineffective.

Bubba wrote in
:

On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:43:35 -0800 (PST), BobR
wrote:

On Jan 31, 2:23*pm, Bubba wrote:
On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:05:30 -0800 (PST), BobR

wrote:
On Jan 30, 7:34*pm, bill wrote:
My daughter is complaining about high heat bills. *i bet the
elect resistence elect coil is on a lot. * how do i tell when the
coil comes on? *and how do you turn it off? *what turns it on?
*when temp is below 32? * if compressor is ok, why would coil
come on? * she had the system checked and they said ok. *wonder
if they checked out operation of coils. * *thanks for any
insight. * bill *in Maryland

Face it, heat pumps are the most ignorant system ever developed and
suffer from a basic design fault. *The lower the temperature, the
less efficient they become and nothing will help the electric bill
from skyrocketing. *Heat pumps are ONLY effective in the few
southern states where the temperature does NOT go below 40 degrees
for any extended length of time. *Below 32 degrees, they are a
total joke.

Nice to know you are so fuquering stupid BobR. Get a clue and a
brain and come back when you actually know something useful.
Heat pumps work very well. Mine heats my home until about 17-18
degrees outside. Then it starts losing temperature so the back-up
heat kicks in. I'll sell you a home with straight electric heat and
I'll take the same EXACT home except I get a heat pump. We'll
compare bills each month. You'll be hurting.
Bubba

Comparing the Heatless Pump to pure electric heat might be a valid
point but comparing to Natural Gas or even propane is a damn joke.
Yes, mine also heats down to 17-18 degrees but in order to do so it
must run almost continously and the electric bill for winter heating
is double my bill for cooling in July and I live in DALLAS where it
doesn't really get all that cold but it does get that hot. I have had
it checked, checked, and checked again and even the Air Conditioning
people admit that they are worthless pieces of crap.

Yes, around 20 or so outside it seems to run 24/7 or something like
that, HOWEVER........................
The next time it is that cold out, go out and wrap and amperage meter
clamp around the run or common terminal of the compressor and not the
amperage draw.
Now, wait till it is 95 outside or some sweat busting temperature like
that and measure that same wire with your amp meter.
BIG difference.
Heat pumps work if installed correctly paying careful attention to
equipment sizing and duct sizing.

And it needs the right coil in the air handler...but that falls under "if
installed correctly".

I've seen & heard it often when someone's heat pump goes they just get
another new or used and install it. My understanding, and I am by no
means well informed on heat pumps, is the coil must me matched to the
unit for max efficiency. Often a larger HP is installed because of the
bigger is better mindset. But even if the same tonage is installed the
coil still must be matched.

Anyone with some true HVAC knowledge feel free to back me up or shoot
some holes in my comment. Learning from my own mistakes is experience.
Learning from others mistakes is wisdom.

No, its not as warm as gas, oil or propane but saves tremendously for
those that only have the option of electric.
Bubba

BobR wrote in
:

On Jan 31, 7:46*pm, Bubba wrote:
On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:43:35 -0800 (PST), BobR





wrote:
On Jan 31, 2:23*pm, Bubba wrote:
On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:05:30 -0800 (PST), BobR

wrote:
On Jan 30, 7:34*pm, bill wrote:
My daughter is complaining about high heat bills. *i bet the
elect

resistence elect coil is on a lot. * how do i tell when the
coil c
omes
on? *and how do you turn it off? *what turns it on? *when temp
is
below 32? * if compressor is ok, why would coil come on? * she
h
ad the
system checked and they said ok. *wonder if they checked out
opera
tion
of coils. * *thanks for any insight. * bill *in Maryland

Face it, heat pumps are the most ignorant system ever developed
and suffer from a basic design fault. *The lower the temperature,
the le
ss
efficient they become and nothing will help the electric bill
from skyrocketing. *Heat pumps are ONLY effective in the few
southern states where the temperature does NOT go below 40
degrees for any extended length of time. *Below 32 degrees, they
are a total joke.

Nice to know you are so fuquering stupid BobR. Get a clue and a
brain and come back when you actually know something useful.
Heat pumps work very well. Mine heats my home until about 17-18
degrees outside. Then it starts losing temperature so the back-up
heat kicks in. I'll sell you a home with straight electric heat
and I'll take the same EXACT home except I get a heat pump. We'll
compare bills each month. You'll be hurting.
Bubba

Comparing the Heatless Pump to pure electric heat might be a valid
point but comparing to Natural Gas or even propane is a damn joke.
Yes, mine also heats down to 17-18 degrees but in order to do so it
must run almost continously and the electric bill for winter heating
is double my bill for cooling in July and I live in DALLAS where it
doesn't really get all that cold but it does get that hot. *I have
had it checked, checked, and checked again and even the Air
Conditioning people admit that they are worthless pieces of crap.

Yes, around 20 or so outside it seems to run 24/7 or something like
that, HOWEVER........................
The next time it is that cold out, go out and wrap and amperage meter
clamp around the run or common terminal of the compressor and not the
amperage draw.
Now, wait till it is 95 outside or some sweat busting temperature
like that and measure that same wire with your amp meter.
BIG difference.
Heat pumps work if installed correctly paying careful attention to
equipment sizing and duct sizing.
No, its not as warm as gas, oil or propane but saves tremendously for
those that only have the option of electric.
Bubba- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

A heat pump using ground heat and cooling would probably be as
effective as anything available, gas or otherwise. The problem with
the heat pump and most air conditioners is the reliance on ambient air
temperatures which are totally ineffective at the time they need to be
the most effective. The colder it gets, the more you need the heat
and the less it is available. Likewise, when its super hot outside,
you can't get any cooling out of the hot air. The only really
effective method would be to bury the evaporator coils deep in the
ground where the ambient temperature will remain almost constant.

That system is now gaining acceptance in many areas and is proving
both effective and cheaper. Unfortunately, nobody in my area knows
crap about it and even if they did, the soil around here is so
unstable that it may prove ineffective.

I believe it's called something like geothermal heat pumps. I think it
was in a monthly magazine from a NC utility company I saw an article on
them. Study from some outfit where test systems were installed in various
parts of the country. One was Burlington VT (about 40 min from Canadian
border). Pretty positive results if I recall. Overall design,
installation and ongoing costs I do not know.

On Feb 1, 8:32*am, bill wrote:
Bill,
2) Heat pumps work best when maintaining a constant set point (i.e. no
drastic set point changes or night setback).


Thanks for answering my piece of the question. I called the company
that installed my heat pump yesterday and they recommended that I not
set back more than 5 degrees. The aux heat strips automatically kick
in if the temps need to be raised more than 3 degrees and more strips
run the longer the unit is working to raise the temps. Based on that
I've set the overnight temps to drop 2 degrees and I'll see how that
works. I'm in SC and Feb is typically the highest wintertime usage so
it will be interesting to see the impact of having a more constant
temp.

Rich B
www.beachtradingco.com

On Feb 1, 7:56*am, Red Green wrote:
BobR wrote :





On Jan 31, 7:46*pm, Bubba wrote:
On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:43:35 -0800 (PST), BobR

wrote:
On Jan 31, 2:23*pm, Bubba wrote:
On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:05:30 -0800 (PST), BobR

wrote:
On Jan 30, 7:34*pm, bill wrote:
My daughter is complaining about high heat bills. *i bet the
elect

resistence elect coil is on a lot. * how do i tell when the
coil c
omes
on? *and how do you turn it off? *what turns it on? *when temp
*is
below 32? * if compressor is ok, why would coil come on? * she
h
ad the
system checked and they said ok. *wonder if they checked out
opera
tion
of coils. * *thanks for any insight. * bill *in Maryland

Face it, heat pumps are the most ignorant system ever developed
and suffer from a basic design fault. *The lower the temperature,
the le
ss
efficient they become and nothing will help the electric bill
from skyrocketing. *Heat pumps are ONLY effective in the few
southern states where the temperature does NOT go below 40
degrees for any extended length of time. *Below 32 degrees, they
are a total joke.

Nice to know you are so fuquering stupid BobR. Get a clue and a
brain and come back when you actually know something useful.
Heat pumps work very well. Mine heats my home until about 17-18
degrees outside. Then it starts losing temperature so the back-up
heat kicks in. I'll sell you a home with straight electric heat
and I'll take the same EXACT home except I get a heat pump. We'll
compare bills each month. You'll be hurting.
Bubba

Comparing the Heatless Pump to pure electric heat might be a valid
point but comparing to Natural Gas or even propane is a damn joke.
Yes, mine also heats down to 17-18 degrees but in order to do so it
must run almost continously and the electric bill for winter heating
is double my bill for cooling in July and I live in DALLAS where it
doesn't really get all that cold but it does get that hot. *I have
had it checked, checked, and checked again and even the Air
Conditioning people admit that they are worthless pieces of crap.

Yes, around 20 or so outside it seems to run 24/7 or something like
that, HOWEVER........................
The next time it is that cold out, go out and wrap and amperage meter
clamp around the run or common terminal of the compressor and not the
amperage draw.
Now, wait till it is 95 outside or some sweat busting temperature
like that and measure that same wire with your amp meter.
BIG difference.
Heat pumps work if installed correctly paying careful attention to
equipment sizing and duct sizing.
No, its not as warm as gas, oil or propane but saves tremendously for
those that only have the option of electric.
Bubba- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

A heat pump using ground heat and cooling would probably be as
effective as anything available, gas or otherwise. *The problem with
the heat pump and most air conditioners is the reliance on ambient air
temperatures which are totally ineffective at the time they need to be
the most effective. *The colder it gets, the more you need the heat
and the less it is available. *Likewise, when its super hot outside,
you can't get any cooling out of the hot air. *The only really
effective method would be to bury the evaporator coils deep in the
ground where the ambient temperature will remain almost constant.

That system is now gaining acceptance in many areas and is proving
both effective and cheaper. *Unfortunately, nobody in my area knows
crap about it and even if they did, the soil around here is so
unstable that it may prove ineffective.

I believe it's called something like geothermal heat pumps. I think it
was in a monthly magazine from a NC utility company I saw an article on
them. Study from some outfit where test systems were installed in various
parts of the country. One was Burlington VT (about 40 min from Canadian
border). Pretty positive results if I recall. Overall design,
installation and ongoing costs I do not know.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

It is the only method I have seen yet that would provide an equally
effective benefit in both summer and winter no matter the local
climate. The major difference would be in northern colder climates
the heat exchanger would need to be buried deeper in order to find a
stable temperature zone.

Beach Trading Company wrote in news:cdf034d7-ffb6-
:

On Feb 1, 8:32*am, bill wrote:
Bill,
2) Heat pumps work best when maintaining a constant set point (i.e. no
drastic set point changes or night setback).


Thanks for answering my piece of the question. I called the company
that installed my heat pump yesterday and they recommended that I not
set back more than 5 degrees. The aux heat strips automatically kick
in if the temps need to be raised more than 3 degrees and more strips
run the longer the unit is working to raise the temps. Based on that
I've set the overnight temps to drop 2 degrees and I'll see how that
works. I'm in SC and Feb is typically the highest wintertime usage so
it will be interesting to see the impact of having a more constant
temp.

Rich B
www.beachtradingco.com

You may have a couple of options of what delta it kicks in at depending
on the thermostat. Set via digital or by jumpers inside. Check the
instruction sheet.

Another option is if you have an extra program available you could bring
it up 3 degrees at a certain time then an hour later bring it up another
few.

Not sure if you realize that once the delta is within the setting the
strips should kick off and pump continue to run until temp is reached
(plus maybe 1 degree).

Red...

On Feb 1, 4:03*pm, Red Green wrote:
Beach Trading Company wrote in news:cdf034d7-ffb6-
:





On Feb 1, 8:32*am, bill wrote:
Bill,
2) Heat pumps work best when maintaining a constant set point (i.e. no
drastic set point changes or night setback).

Thanks for answering my piece of the question. I called the company
that installed my heat pump yesterday and they recommended that I not
set back more than 5 degrees. The aux heat strips automatically kick
in if the temps need to be raised more than 3 degrees and more strips
run the longer the unit is working to raise the temps. Based on that
I've set the overnight temps to drop 2 degrees and I'll see how that
works. I'm in SC and Feb is typically the highest wintertime usage so
it will be interesting to see the impact of having a more constant
temp.

Rich B
www.beachtradingco.com

You may have a couple of options of what delta it kicks in at depending
on the thermostat. Set via digital or by jumpers inside. Check the
instruction sheet.

Another option is if you have an extra program available you could bring
it up 3 degrees at a certain time then an hour later bring it up another
few.

Not sure if you realize that once the delta is within the setting the
strips should kick off and pump continue to run until temp is reached
(plus maybe 1 degree).

Red...- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thanks for that Red. I'll try your suggestion of stepping it up. That
sounds like a great idea.

Rich B
www.beachtradingco.com

According to BobR :
On Jan 31, 2:23*pm, Bubba wrote:
On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:05:30 -0800 (PST), BobR
Face it, heat pumps are the most ignorant system ever developed and
suffer from a basic design fault. *The lower the temperature, the less
efficient they become and nothing will help the electric bill from
skyrocketing. *Heat pumps are ONLY effective in the few southern
states where the temperature does NOT go below 40 degrees for any
extended length of time. *Below 32 degrees, they are a total joke.

Nice to know you are so fuquering stupid BobR. Get a clue and a brain
and come back when you actually know something useful.
Heat pumps work very well. Mine heats my home until about 17-18
degrees outside. Then it starts losing temperature so the back-up heat
kicks in. I'll sell you a home with straight electric heat and I'll
take the same EXACT home except I get a heat pump. We'll compare bills
each month. You'll be hurting.
Bubba

Comparing the Heatless Pump to pure electric heat might be a valid
point but comparing to Natural Gas or even propane is a damn joke.
Yes, mine also heats down to 17-18 degrees but in order to do so it
must run almost continously and the electric bill for winter heating
is double my bill for cooling in July and I live in DALLAS where it
doesn't really get all that cold but it does get that hot. I have had
it checked, checked, and checked again and even the Air Conditioning
people admit that they are worthless pieces of crap.

That's what you get for using an air source heat pump with resistive backup
(and probably keeping the temperature a lot warmer than you need to) -
that's the worst heat pump combination there is.

Air source heat pump with gas backup is cheaper to operate than straight
gas.

Ground or water source heat pump with electric backup is also cheaper
than straight gas. In fact, a geothermal will usually not use the backup
except momentarily even when it gets as low as -30F to -40F.

In geothermals, except in extreme cold (long duration -30F), the
backup is really only there to keep you from freezing if the HP fails
outright.
--
Chris Lewis,

Age and Treachery will Triumph over Youth and Skill
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

According to Beach Trading Company :
On Feb 1, 8:32*am, bill wrote:
Bill,
2) Heat pumps work best when maintaining a constant set point (i.e. no
drastic set point changes or night setback).

Thanks for answering my piece of the question. I called the company
that installed my heat pump yesterday and they recommended that I not
set back more than 5 degrees. The aux heat strips automatically kick
in if the temps need to be raised more than 3 degrees and more strips
run the longer the unit is working to raise the temps. Based on that
I've set the overnight temps to drop 2 degrees and I'll see how that
works. I'm in SC and Feb is typically the highest wintertime usage so
it will be interesting to see the impact of having a more constant
temp.

Note that there are some programmable thermostats that "understand"
heat pumps. There are some that are smart enough to bring the temperature
back up from the set back in increments of a few degrees at a time,
so the HP never thinks it's gotten too far behind. There are others
that "know" that the abrupt temperature discrepency (between room temperature
and setpoint) is due to their "returning from setback", inhibit backup
heat, and force the HP do do all the work. The latter have to be built
into the HP I believe.
--
Chris Lewis,

Age and Treachery will Triumph over Youth and Skill
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

According to Red Green :

I believe it's called something like geothermal heat pumps. I think it
was in a monthly magazine from a NC utility company I saw an article on
them. Study from some outfit where test systems were installed in various
parts of the country. One was Burlington VT (about 40 min from Canadian
border). Pretty positive results if I recall. Overall design,
installation and ongoing costs I do not know.

Up north of that border, geothermals (and other forms of ground-source)
HPs are becoming quite popular and well known. We had a guy come in
to give our house a full workup and provide an quote for switching our
house over from baseboard electric to geothermal.

IIRC, he quoted us a 5 ton unit (2200 SF two floor house, _almost_ R2000
construction). This geothermal "style" involves drilling a 100' bore
hole per ton (minimum 10' apart), dropping a loop of tubing down each
hole, and backfilling.

There were "combination" and "separate" units. The separate units
were were the air handler and air heat exchange was one place, and
the control box and pumps were in another (close to where the
wells are). The "combo" unit is when it's all in one box. The "separate"
unit was thought to be more effective for us.

As I recall, the full quote (including $3K for ductwork -
we have a very open-concept house, and we were going to be able to
"cheat" a bit and still get proper airflow) was around $18K.

In contrast, a straight forced air gas furnace install (not including
ductwork) would be $7K - there is no gas in this area, though there may
be in another year or two.

The claim was our heating power consumption would decline by about
60%. I worked it out having a break even point of about 10 years. We
decided to wait a few more years and check again - they have us on their
calender to call back, but they're doing so much business now, we may
have to call them ;-)

Do google searches for "geothermal ontario" and you'll find _lots_
of references/descriptions of how it works, installers etc. We get
rebates for installing geothermal now. H'm, the break even just got
a lot shorter ;-)
--
Chris Lewis,

Age and Treachery will Triumph over Youth and Skill
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

According to BobR :

It is the only method I have seen yet that would provide an equally
effective benefit in both summer and winter no matter the local
climate. The major difference would be in northern colder climates
the heat exchanger would need to be buried deeper in order to find a
stable temperature zone.

If the exchanger is horizontal, and only by a few feet (unless you're
comparing Miami and Resolute Bay of course ;-).

Many of the systems are vertical (eg: the ones we were looking
at use 100' deep wells), so different frost depth makes very little
difference.
--
Chris Lewis,

Age and Treachery will Triumph over Youth and Skill
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

Note that there are some programmable thermostats that "understand"
heat pumps. --
Chris Lewis,

Thanks for that Chris. This unit has the Carrier Infinity Control
thermostat. This thermostat know's what components are attached to it
and it monitors and controls the system. Their implementation
apparently thinks it's more efficient to have the backup heat kick in
if the temp needs to be raise beyond a certain number of degrees. I'm
told that's 3 degrees. I've decided to only drop the temps overnight a
couple degrees and see what the impact is on my electric bill next
month. Of course as soon as I did that the temps rose to the 60's and
70's so the HP won't run anyway. ;-)

Rich B
www.beachtradingco.com

On Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:29:31 -0000, (Chris
Lewis) wrote:

Note that there are some programmable thermostats that "understand"
heat pumps. There are some that are smart enough to bring the temperature
back up from the set back in increments of a few degrees at a time,
so the HP never thinks it's gotten too far behind. There are others
that "know" that the abrupt temperature discrepency (between room temperature
and setpoint) is due to their "returning from setback", inhibit backup
heat, and force the HP do do all the work. The latter have to be built
into the HP I believe.

Hi Chris,

A friend of mine installed a new setback thermostat for his heat pump
(a Honeywell as I recall) that monitors how long it takes to return to
the daytime set temperature and adjusts the timing of the ramp up
period accordingly; in other words, the heat pump comes on earlier
during colder weather so that the house reaches the desired
temperature at the time requested. He tells me his backup elements
never come on as they did previously with his previous thermostat and
his operating costs have dropped accordingly.

I always chuckle whenever someone tells me heat pumps don't work in
northern climates or when temperatures routinely fall below 40F.
Compared to my oil-fired boiler at 82% AFUE, my heat pump has cut my
overall heating costs by more than half -- an average cost of just 4.3
cents per kWh of heat versus 10.8 cents for oil.

Cheers,
Paul

On Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:49:43 -0000, (Chris
Lewis) wrote:

Up north of that border, geothermals (and other forms of ground-source)
HPs are becoming quite popular and well known. We had a guy come in
to give our house a full workup and provide an quote for switching our
house over from baseboard electric to geothermal.

IIRC, he quoted us a 5 ton unit (2200 SF two floor house, _almost_ R2000
construction). This geothermal "style" involves drilling a 100' bore
hole per ton (minimum 10' apart), dropping a loop of tubing down each
hole, and backfilling.

There were "combination" and "separate" units. The separate units
were were the air handler and air heat exchange was one place, and
the control box and pumps were in another (close to where the
wells are). The "combo" unit is when it's all in one box. The "separate"
unit was thought to be more effective for us.

As I recall, the full quote (including $3K for ductwork -
we have a very open-concept house, and we were going to be able to
"cheat" a bit and still get proper airflow) was around $18K.

In contrast, a straight forced air gas furnace install (not including
ductwork) would be $7K - there is no gas in this area, though there may
be in another year or two.

The claim was our heating power consumption would decline by about
60%. I worked it out having a break even point of about 10 years. We
decided to wait a few more years and check again - they have us on their
calender to call back, but they're doing so much business now, we may
have to call them ;-)

Do google searches for "geothermal ontario" and you'll find _lots_
of references/descriptions of how it works, installers etc. We get
rebates for installing geothermal now. H'm, the break even just got
a lot shorter ;-)

Hi Chris,

In addition to the geothermal option, I might recommend looking at one
(or more) Fujitsu ductless heat pumps. The operating costs would be
slightly higher than a geo-exchange (but not by much) and it wouldn't
provide DHW (perhaps its biggest drawback if your household uses a lot
of hot water), but the upfront costs would be far lower and the
installation a whole lot simpler. Generally speaking, these units are
a good choice for energy-efficient, open concept homes such as your
own.

The current generation of Fujitsus with the inverter drives work down
to -15C (5F), although I'm told by someone who lives in Montreal that
his continues to operate all the way to -20C (-4F). I've crunched the
IRR and NPV numbers for the Fujitsu based on our local climate and
energy costs (7,800 HDD / $0.1067 per kWh) and I know of nothing that
matches its technical or financial performance. These truly are in a
class of their own.

Cheers,
Paul

According to Beach Trading Company :
Note that there are some programmable thermostats that "understand"
heat pumps. --
Chris Lewis,

Thanks for that Chris. This unit has the Carrier Infinity Control
thermostat. This thermostat know's what components are attached to it
and it monitors and controls the system. Their implementation
apparently thinks it's more efficient to have the backup heat kick in
if the temp needs to be raise beyond a certain number of degrees. I'm
told that's 3 degrees. I've decided to only drop the temps overnight a
couple degrees and see what the impact is on my electric bill next
month. Of course as soon as I did that the temps rose to the 60's and
70's so the HP won't run anyway. ;-)

What happens is this: most HPs think that a discrepancy of over
N degrees (somewhere around 5) means that the HP is unable to keep up,
and backup heat is essential to get the heat back to where you want
it ASAP. It's not more efficient, it's _quicker_, a simpler
programming choice, safer choice (more likely right without more
complicated analysis/sensors), and more in keeping with what the designers
think _you_ want ("I'm freezing, MORE HEAT NOW (*&&^)(*&!").

It sounds as if you're doing your setbacks manually. If that's
the case, the Tstat isn't designed for that, and is going to
make suboptimal choices - when you set the Tstat up, it thinks
"my owner is cold, I'll warm him up ASAP!". If you want to continue
doing that, make your temperature changes gradual. Or use a diferent
thermostat.

On our HP/gas backup, we went with a programmable control unit that
physically moved the control on the existing thermostat. There were
no other options for controlling HPs at the time. I understood
about backup issue, and since the unit permitted me to make as
many as 20 or so programmed-time temperature changes, I simply
set a single "setback" step, and a series of gradually rising
"recovery" steps. Worked fine - our heating bills were ridiculously
low (for the great white north that is). Just took a while to program.
--
Chris Lewis,

Age and Treachery will Triumph over Youth and Skill
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

According to Paul M. Eldridge :
On Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:29:31 -0000, (Chris
Lewis) wrote:

Note that there are some programmable thermostats that "understand"
heat pumps. There are some that are smart enough to bring the temperature
back up from the set back in increments of a few degrees at a time,
so the HP never thinks it's gotten too far behind. There are others
that "know" that the abrupt temperature discrepency (between room temperature
and setpoint) is due to their "returning from setback", inhibit backup
heat, and force the HP do do all the work. The latter have to be built
into the HP I believe.

Hi Chris,

A friend of mine installed a new setback thermostat for his heat pump
(a Honeywell as I recall) that monitors how long it takes to return to
the daytime set temperature and adjusts the timing of the ramp up
period accordingly; in other words, the heat pump comes on earlier
during colder weather so that the house reaches the desired
temperature at the time requested. He tells me his backup elements
never come on as they did previously with his previous thermostat and
his operating costs have dropped accordingly.

I think I've heard of these before too, but I forgot.

I always chuckle whenever someone tells me heat pumps don't work in
northern climates or when temperatures routinely fall below 40F.

I get more than a chuckle when people claim to quote supposed professionals
who claim HPs are crap. I know which professionals to avoid.

Short of having your own power or heat generation (a gas well on the
property would be real nice ;-), a _properly_ chosen and installed
HP will beat anything else. Unless electricity prices really jump
disproportionally over gas and oil.

Compared to my oil-fired boiler at 82% AFUE, my heat pump has cut my
overall heating costs by more than half -- an average cost of just 4.3
cents per kWh of heat versus 10.8 cents for oil.

Yup. In any climate, an air-source HP plus gas backup will do better
than straight gas - even if they only do heating during spring and
fall. But geothermal HP will do much better than that, and cares
little about outside temperature - BTU output remains approximately
constant/same efficiency, it's a matter when the BTU output isn't
enough to keep up with heat losses.

We were told that the geothermal unit that was spec'd for us would, on
average, rely on backup approximately 30 hours per year - the nights
that dip below -40F/-40C. We usually get a week or two where the daytime
highs doesn't exceed -25C, and once or twice daytime highs of around -40C.
Much like Montana winter temperatures.
--
Chris Lewis,

Age and Treachery will Triumph over Youth and Skill
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

According to Paul M. Eldridge :

Hi Chris,

In addition to the geothermal option, I might recommend looking at one
(or more) Fujitsu ductless heat pumps. The operating costs would be
slightly higher than a geo-exchange (but not by much) and it wouldn't
provide DHW (perhaps its biggest drawback if your household uses a lot
of hot water), but the upfront costs would be far lower and the
installation a whole lot simpler. Generally speaking, these units are
a good choice for energy-efficient, open concept homes such as your
own.

It sounds about perfect. Will definately have to look into them. Your
friend's Montreal home will be almost the same climate as ours - we're
(rural Ottawa area) a little colder, but less snow.

Hey, neat, I can run 'em off the existing baseboard wiring!

Our house is situated amongst heavy tree cover, so, A/C tends not to be
necessary more than a few days per year. Because of the way the
house is designed, a single 12000 BTU "window type" (actually
mounted through the wall) A/C is more than enough. T'would be nice to be
rid of the ugly thing - it's at least 17 years old, and it has to
die someday. Probably soon.

The trees also aid with heating, because there's less loss due to
wind cooling.

I don't think we're particularly heavy DHW users, so, that's not
as important. The dishwasher and clotheswasher are both very
low water consumption units, and we only do showers.
--
Chris Lewis,

Age and Treachery will Triumph over Youth and Skill
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

On Tue, 05 Feb 2008 20:15:45 -0000, (Chris
Lewis) wrote:

According to Paul M. Eldridge :

Hi Chris,

In addition to the geothermal option, I might recommend looking at one
(or more) Fujitsu ductless heat pumps. The operating costs would be
slightly higher than a geo-exchange (but not by much) and it wouldn't
provide DHW (perhaps its biggest drawback if your household uses a lot
of hot water), but the upfront costs would be far lower and the
installation a whole lot simpler. Generally speaking, these units are
a good choice for energy-efficient, open concept homes such as your
own.

It sounds about perfect. Will definately have to look into them. Your
friend's Montreal home will be almost the same climate as ours - we're
(rural Ottawa area) a little colder, but less snow.

Hey, neat, I can run 'em off the existing baseboard wiring!

Our house is situated amongst heavy tree cover, so, A/C tends not to be
necessary more than a few days per year. Because of the way the
house is designed, a single 12000 BTU "window type" (actually
mounted through the wall) A/C is more than enough. T'would be nice to be
rid of the ugly thing - it's at least 17 years old, and it has to
die someday. Probably soon.

The trees also aid with heating, because there's less loss due to
wind cooling.

I don't think we're particularly heavy DHW users, so, that's not
as important. The dishwasher and clotheswasher are both very
low water consumption units, and we only do showers.

Let me pull Environment Canada's hourly temperature data for Ottawa
and plug it into my spreadsheet and see how the numbers might work out
for you. Without knowing much about your home's heat loss(*) and
lifestyle, the results will be necessarily broad brush, but it still
might help you determine if a Fujitsu would be a good fit for you (we
can refine things a little further after you've had a look at the
preliminary findings). I should have something ready for you later
this evening.

Best regards,
Paul

(*) You mentioned your 2,200 sq. ft. home is near R2000 in terms of
its construction, so I'm going to estimate your average heat loss at a
little less than 170-watts per degree C, with a demand point of 13C
(i.e., when outside temperatures rise above 13C, we'll assume internal
gains such as lighting and appliances and passive solar would be
sufficient to keep your home at a comfortable temperature). Again, we
can make adjustments as you see fit.

Hi Chris,

As promised, I've built a spreadsheet model using Ottawa's 2007
weather data to estimate the potential energy savings of a Fujitsu
12RLQ ductless heat pump (I'm hoping 2007 is typical of most winters).
This particular unit has a nominal rating of 12,000 BTUs/hr cooling
and 16,000 BTUs/hr heating, so it's a little undersized for your home
and local climate. For our purposes, I've assumed the low temperature
cut-off point is, in fact, -15C as stated in the technical
documentation and not -20C as I've been told antidotally. I've also
assumed your heating season begins October 1st and ends April 30th; if
it extends a little beyond these two points, your actual savings would
be a slightly greater than what we see here.

If your home's average heat loss is 0.170 kW per degree C and your
demand point is 13C, the numbers break down as follows:

Annual Heat Demand 12,738 kWh
Heat Pump Output 7,436 kWh
Heat Pump Input 2,481 kWh
Annual COP 3.00
Net Savings 4,955 kWh
Backup Requirement 5,303 kWh
Heat Pump Contribution 58.4%

If, in fact, your home's heat loss is a little higher (i.e., 0.20
kW/C) and your demand point is 15C (i.e., the other internal gains
previously mentioned are not quite as significant as first thought or
if you prefer to keep your home a little warmer), the numbers work out
as follows:

Annual Heat Demand 16,913 kWh
Heat Pump Output 9,118 kWh
Heat Pump Input 3,010 kWh
Annual COP 3.03
Net Savings 6,109 kWh
Backup Requirement 7,794 kWh
Heat Pump Contribution 53.9%

I believe you pay just over $0.101 per kWh, so your dollar savings
would be $502.00 and $618.00 respectively ($567.00 and $699.00
including federal and provincial taxes). By comparison, a
geo-exchange heat pump with an annual COP of 4 -- if that's a
reasonable number to use -- would reduce your annual heating costs by
$967.00 and $1,284.00, for an additional savings of $466.00 and
$666.00 respectively ($526.00 and $752.00 with PST & GST).

If the geo-exchange system you priced is $14,500.00 after rebate(s)
and the Fujitsu ductless unit is $3,500.00, say, after its $400.00
rebate, the $11,000.00 difference between these two options extends
your simple payback by an additional 15 to 20 years, or perhaps 10 to
15 years assuming a more rapid escalation in electricity costs. If
time permits and if it would be helpful to you, I can work out the NPV
numbers to more accurately gage the relative merits of both.

Cheers,
Paul

Hi Chris,

A PDF copy of my preliminary analysis is available at the links listed
below:

Fujitsu 12RLQ - Low Demand
http://www.datafilehost.com/download.php?file=21b480ca

Fujitsu 12RLQ - High Demand
http://www.datafilehost.com/download.php?file=a6f0df15

Fujitsu 15RLQ - Low Demand
http://www.datafilehost.com/download.php?file=8fba1992

Fujitsu 15RLQ - High Demand
http://www.datafilehost.com/download.php?file=8a8b84fe

Keep in mind, these numbers are somewhat pessimistic in that supply
and demand must be perfectly matched for each hour of every day and if
the heat pump cannot supply the entire load in any given hour, the
backup baseboard heaters carry the rest. In reality, your home
probably has sufficient thermal mass to ride out many of the minor
fluctuations in hourly output and thus the need for backup heat
wouldn't be quite as great as what we show here.

In addition, we assume a constant temperature must be maintained at
all times and you can minimize some of the variations in night time
versus daytime performance through temperature set back (i.e., let the
temperature in your home drift downward overnight when the relative
performance of your heat pump is diminished due to colder night time
temperatures). Likewise, if you keep your heat pump set at 21C, say,
and your backup baseboard heaters at 18C, you can further enhance your
heat pump's overall contribution, especially during the milder times
of the year.

I tend to push things a little further in that I often boost daytime
temperatures a little higher than normal to take advantage of the heat
pump's better performance during the warmest part of the day (during
the shoulder seasons in particular, the spread between daytime and
night time temperatures can be fairly substantial). I also closely
monitor the weather forecast and if temperatures are expected to fall
in the coming days, I run my heat pump flat out and bank as much
excess heat as possible (within the bounds of comfort); this surplus
heat is then used to "ride out" any deficit in production during these
colder times. This involves a little extra effort on your part and,
again, requires your backup heat to be set a few degrees lower than
your heat pump, but the potential energy savings during times when
temperatures are bouncing all over the map can be huge.

Hope this information is helpful to you. If you have any questions or
if you'd like me to change any of the assumptions used in these
scenarios, please let me know.

Best regards,
Paul