O/T Central heat and a/c

My biggest bill for heatwas about $100 one month when it wass below 0 for most of the month. Normally it is about $60.00

So, I just can't relate at all. ;)

--->Paul

The REA provided the financing for the install.

For me, the system has proved to be very cost effective. By letting the REA do the auto control of the system, they give me a 4 cent credit on power for the system. A seperate meter was required for monitoring the power usuage for credit.

I have a 40 yr old fuel oil furnance back up (The first year heating cost 91-92 was between $800-900) with a 3 stage thermostat. Heat pump, 5KW strip heater in plenum, and the furnance.

The first 5 yrs I kept close records to see just how cost effective it was. My house is 2000 sq ft old farm house, insulation minimal with 60 yr old plus windows (read a hole closing object at best hehe). My records have shown that from the start of heating season until mid Dec and from Mar till the end of heating season, it costs me less than a $100 bill for heat. The 2 1/2 months of the dead of winter will require the furnace to kick in from time to time to "help" out.

I have a 250 gal tank for fuel, the last time it was filled was in Jan of 2001.

I live about 20 miles from paul (to the northwest even...LOL), so yeah -35 is seen from time to time and the northwest wind howls real bad at times. The way my yard is set up, I don't have full protection from the northwest, the road going right past my place opens a nice wind tunnel at times.

Even with the improved efficiency of a closed loop ground system, I couldn't recoup the extra costs over and above from what I have now. A friend did the closed loop system after seeing my low costs. Installed a new gas furnace with the system. He manually turns the furnace on once a year to make sure it works, has never had it come on to supplement heat even in the dead of winter.

The key to cost effectiveness is whether or not you can get credit for the use. Set up properly, it should at the least be a wash.

Which ever system you decide on, make sure the installer is properly sizing your system. Mine is at minimum a half ton too small, but I wouldn't go any other route.

Insulating those floors would make them warmer and save you some money. Make sure you have adequate ceiling insulation, and look at what you can do to cut air infiltration. Caulking, storm windows and doors, weatherstripping. Those are the cheap things.

My 28-year-old electric coil heat/central air unit was getting tired, so I ran the numbers this past year and put in a new standard dual-cycle heat pump. It runs one heating coil when the heat pump is heating to make it "feel" warmer.

It would have taken forever to pay back the extra cost of a high-efficiency propane unit. The water-exchange heat pumps cost a lot more than that. The heat pump combo was only a couple hundred more than the electric coil unit.

OK-AL

• DE

I bought a new heat/ac system a year ago last fall. Had been using a propane pulse furnace with central a/c (common air handler). Also put in a new true heat pump at my dad's place the same fall.

I would suggest you really put a pencil to the cost of the ground coupled system. There is no way one would pencil for me. If I had it to do over I would have put a propane gas pack on the heat pump. Cost of the new heat/ac at my house (for 1800 square feet, installed) was $4000 with an 80% efficient pulse gas furnace. It gets a lot colder here than it does in LA, I struggle to use the 600 gallons of propane a year that the company requires for me to keep my tank free. Prepay propane is $1.29 per gallon this year. Electric bill runs $60 per month on the budget. Even if it cut my energy use in half that would be $800 a year savings. It would be at least 10 years to come out on the extra cost of the ground coupled system. Now at my folks place there electric is $200 per month on the budget (different electric company, too) would have been a lot closer on the ground coupled system. Still, I went with the simple system.