Heat pump installer recommendations
- Thread starter jaymasta
- Start date
Just did this myself jay.
My only Recommendation THINK about gas!
Electricity is going up while natural gas goes down.
We went electric which may be the way to go but in hindsight id give more consideration to hooking the house up to gas.
I got a few quotes and decided on a lennox pump and went with the cheapest quote who could do it before the rebate expired. Overall Install was good but room for improvement on smaller areas which I imagine is a case of get what you pay for.
My only Recommendation THINK about gas!
Electricity is going up while natural gas goes down.
We went electric which may be the way to go but in hindsight id give more consideration to hooking the house up to gas.
I got a few quotes and decided on a lennox pump and went with the cheapest quote who could do it before the rebate expired. Overall Install was good but room for improvement on smaller areas which I imagine is a case of get what you pay for.
scott craven
Well-Known Member
gon fishin
Active Member
I would give gas a very hard think Changed from oil to gas about 2 years ago and my bill was cut almost in 1/2 Plus no more expensive propane and bottles ect I now have my bbq and my crab pot burner and a shop heater in gas Plus the price on the Island was higher than everywhere else and they just changed resulting in a 25% decrease over the next 3 years and we all know where electricity prices are headed
Cuba Libre
Well-Known Member
Got a heat pump and its been great during the hot weather. But it took a lot of work to find a qualified company to repair the initial crappy job. If you are in Qualicum to Courtenay area of the Island-- Avoid 21 Degrees like the plague .
And make sure the outfit you choose is an authorized dealer for what ever brand you purchase. That way they will have all the updated tech bulletins for that brand--- Most of the problems nowadays are INSTALLER driven-- not the brand
And make sure the outfit you choose is an authorized dealer for what ever brand you purchase. That way they will have all the updated tech bulletins for that brand--- Most of the problems nowadays are INSTALLER driven-- not the brand
Fish Assassin
Crew Member
21 Degree does suck..... Never used them, but I sure do hear nothing but how lousy service is and lack of knowledge of the systems they sell.
If I were you I'd call Trane they have an office in Victoria and have really awesome technicians that know what they are doing. They specialize in heating and cooling.
If I were you I'd call Trane they have an office in Victoria and have really awesome technicians that know what they are doing. They specialize in heating and cooling.
Fisherman Rob
Well-Known Member
We've been considering a heat pump as well, but haven't fully decided yet. We changed out an old oil furnace about 8 years ago, and at the time gas was going up, and electricity was cheap, so we went with electric forced air. Since then it's reversed: electricity prices have doubled with two tier rating, another 30% increase over next few years, and smart meters pointing eventually to time of day billing rates. Meanwhile, gas rates have actually decreased, and LNG plans suggest cheap and plentiful gas for a long time.
Heat pumps are very cheap to operate, but initial purchase and install cost is very high. I've also heard annual maintenance can be expensive as well. HP dealers offer maintenance plans at additional cost to cover this. I've done some rough calcs, and it will take 6 years for the investment to break even.
Other factors against a heat pump is noise, and in our case, the unit would be located outside of our bedroom window. Also, you have to keep your house at a consistent temp, as the heat output at the registers is quite low, so if you like your bedroom cold at night, you can only set back a couple of degrees.
But I've talked to lots of people who love their heat pump, and on things for sure, electric is now a very expensive way to heat a house, and will be a liability when it come time to sell.
But in answer to your original question, in Victoria we've found Four Seasons very friendly and knowledgeable, not necessary the cheapest though. We had cheaper quote from EcoSmart, who also seemed decent.
Heat pumps are very cheap to operate, but initial purchase and install cost is very high. I've also heard annual maintenance can be expensive as well. HP dealers offer maintenance plans at additional cost to cover this. I've done some rough calcs, and it will take 6 years for the investment to break even.
Other factors against a heat pump is noise, and in our case, the unit would be located outside of our bedroom window. Also, you have to keep your house at a consistent temp, as the heat output at the registers is quite low, so if you like your bedroom cold at night, you can only set back a couple of degrees.
But I've talked to lots of people who love their heat pump, and on things for sure, electric is now a very expensive way to heat a house, and will be a liability when it come time to sell.
But in answer to your original question, in Victoria we've found Four Seasons very friendly and knowledgeable, not necessary the cheapest though. We had cheaper quote from EcoSmart, who also seemed decent.
Lifetimer 18
Member
Heat pump
Just have to add my two cents into heat pumps. Hate them!
I have a Amana heat pump installed when we did a addition ,
Have had comfort group in to check if it was sized right for the house <they did not install it> correct size and working properly .
They did a amazing job checking it out!
At night sounds like a big fan running all night long
When temp drops near/below freezing runs all night,
Now this is why I hate heat pumps
Nov/Dec hydro bill $600 Jan/Feb another 600 bucks
Two of us in the house heat set at 18 c
Go gas !
Just have to add my two cents into heat pumps. Hate them!
I have a Amana heat pump installed when we did a addition ,
Have had comfort group in to check if it was sized right for the house <they did not install it> correct size and working properly .
They did a amazing job checking it out!
At night sounds like a big fan running all night long
When temp drops near/below freezing runs all night,
Now this is why I hate heat pumps
Nov/Dec hydro bill $600 Jan/Feb another 600 bucks
Two of us in the house heat set at 18 c
Go gas !
GLG
Well-Known Member
First off excellent info FR glad to see people are looking at the costs and taking the long view.
That's not what happened in Australia the local price was below world price same as here in BC.
When LNG came online they went to world price and their costs doubled.
This is worth a read.
http://energy.einnews.com/article/218381467/cPDZfrtEKuQW5o8x
Check out the comments section of that article.
Here is a nugget.
That's not what happened in Australia the local price was below world price same as here in BC.
When LNG came online they went to world price and their costs doubled.
This is worth a read.
http://energy.einnews.com/article/218381467/cPDZfrtEKuQW5o8x
Check out the comments section of that article.
Here is a nugget.
GLG
Well-Known Member
Any advice on brands and their costs to maintain over the life cycle?
Heard some brands had high prices for replacement parts.
scott craven
Well-Known Member
ThreePer
Member
How big is your house Lifetimer??? I only have a 1300sq' rancher, but I probably average $200/month. More in the winter, less in the summer. We have a fully programmable thermostat hooked up to our Carrier heat pump. House is set for 20c for when we are around the most, which is nice and cool in the summer and nice and warm in the winter. Our heat pump doesn't work too hard, even when it was 30c outside, it had no problem keeping the house cool. In the winter, even on the couple days we had around -10c I think the "aux heat" (elec furnace) only kicked in twice in the year I have owned the place.
I did learn something though and someone already mentioned it. Get a reputable company to install what they service. Whomever installed our Carrier was a hack. When I called the local shop to come fix it a few weeks ago they took one look and said "Who the Eff did your install?". They figured it was a plumber who thought that refrigeration was easy... Oh well it works awesome. That and the LNG hot water on demand in our house makes our Hydro bill smaller than our old 2 bedroom apartment bill.
I did learn something though and someone already mentioned it. Get a reputable company to install what they service. Whomever installed our Carrier was a hack. When I called the local shop to come fix it a few weeks ago they took one look and said "Who the Eff did your install?". They figured it was a plumber who thought that refrigeration was easy... Oh well it works awesome. That and the LNG hot water on demand in our house makes our Hydro bill smaller than our old 2 bedroom apartment bill.
Big Green Machine
Well-Known Member
The only thing about heat pumps is the fan runs non stop, so make sure its installed in an area that won't bother you or the neighbours. I live in the Okanagan, and heat pumps will not cool your house enough during the 8 weeks of over 35 degree temps. But they work ok in coastal regions where you do not get extreme temp fluctuations.
Cuba Libre
Well-Known Member
If your heat pump is constantly running, I would bet its undersized or you have crappy insulation!!!! And, I have a Carrier Infinity HP 15seer and its very quiet. We cant hear it at all inside the house. Also, its just a 20 feet away from my deck-- and its barely noticeable
When I was shopping around-- noise levels were a factor that I considered, as this one sits under my 2nd floor window. Made the right choice on the heat pump-- just got a con man that was full of promises.....it took me a while to wake up to that fact. Now the local carrier dealer has my business and no problems.
When I was shopping around-- noise levels were a factor that I considered, as this one sits under my 2nd floor window. Made the right choice on the heat pump-- just got a con man that was full of promises.....it took me a while to wake up to that fact. Now the local carrier dealer has my business and no problems.
Last edited by a moderator:
TenMile
Well-Known Member
I had a Rheem heatpump installed 18 months ago. It's a 4 ton unit and it replaced a 28 y/o Carrier 2.5 ton unit that was installed when our house was built. The old unit needed servicing/parts and rather than continue to throw money at it, we decided to go completely new -- both the evaporator unit (outside) and the air handler (inside).
I did a TON of reading on Heat Pumps -- there is a great HVAC Forum online with a ton of questions on various models. For the Victoria area, they make a load of sense as we rarely see temperatures below -12C. Had my unit installed by Bridgeman -- these guys were very good and he really knew his stuff.
My suggestions and observations:
- we don't currently have Natural Gas running to the house (runs by, but the PO didn't get it installed) so house is 100% hydro including both heat and hot water. Our bill averaged $180/mo last winter and in the summer drops below $100.
- we took advantage of the Energuide program when we did our renos and were able to claim some of the cost back in grants -- had the home energy assessed and our home scores at 79 (which is very high for a home built in 1982).
- new heat pump technology is nearly silent -- the old Carrier sounded like a jet engine, but we can't hear the new unit inside the house. The Air Handler can be configured to run non-stop (it's the recommended option to keep the air clean), or it can shut off when heating/cooling stops
- get a smart thermostat with external temperature sensor with the Aux Heat lockout, and learn how to program it. Our unit has a 12kw dual electric heat element aux heater and I have it locked out until the exterior temperature drops below -12C -- to my knowledge, it has never come on. I found that the HVAC guys were great at all the mechanical installation, but didn't know how to properly program the electronics and left everything at default. You can save a ton of money by changing the advanced unit programming.
- Warranty -- I asked for and got 10 years on both parts and labour.
I did a TON of reading on Heat Pumps -- there is a great HVAC Forum online with a ton of questions on various models. For the Victoria area, they make a load of sense as we rarely see temperatures below -12C. Had my unit installed by Bridgeman -- these guys were very good and he really knew his stuff.
My suggestions and observations:
- we don't currently have Natural Gas running to the house (runs by, but the PO didn't get it installed) so house is 100% hydro including both heat and hot water. Our bill averaged $180/mo last winter and in the summer drops below $100.
- we took advantage of the Energuide program when we did our renos and were able to claim some of the cost back in grants -- had the home energy assessed and our home scores at 79 (which is very high for a home built in 1982).
- new heat pump technology is nearly silent -- the old Carrier sounded like a jet engine, but we can't hear the new unit inside the house. The Air Handler can be configured to run non-stop (it's the recommended option to keep the air clean), or it can shut off when heating/cooling stops
- get a smart thermostat with external temperature sensor with the Aux Heat lockout, and learn how to program it. Our unit has a 12kw dual electric heat element aux heater and I have it locked out until the exterior temperature drops below -12C -- to my knowledge, it has never come on. I found that the HVAC guys were great at all the mechanical installation, but didn't know how to properly program the electronics and left everything at default. You can save a ton of money by changing the advanced unit programming.
- Warranty -- I asked for and got 10 years on both parts and labour.
Similar threads
