skip to main content

Heating & Air Conditioning

Choosing a Heat Pump or Air Conditioner

12 years ago

I'm looking at purchasing the Lennox HPX14 paired with CBX27UH for 5700 or the XC13 paired with CBX26UH-060 5100.00

XC14 paired with CBX26UH-060 5354.00

Just looking for a reliable system that will last a long time.. Climate is in Victoria Tx about 120 miles south of Houston Tx..

Any recommendations?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (11)

ryanhughes
12 years ago
The 14HPX is a heat pump, while the XC13/XC14 are air conditioners. The XP13/XP14 are heat pumps. Are you being quoted only heat pumps? The CBX27UH is the nicer air handler with a higher efficiency motor, but the XC13/XC14 is the nicer outdoor unit in my opinion (quieter, nicer cabinet).
tigerdunes
12 years ago
dbmet

how do you currently heat?

not a fan of Lennox HPs. I would stay away from the HPX series. If Lennox, look at the XP14 HP paired with best VS air handler or high eff air handler.

what size are you replacing?

post back.

IMO
Related Discussions
Geothermal heat pump vs air source heat pump vs gas
Q
Comments (27)
Air source heat pumps don't make sense in areas where winter temps frequently fall below 32 degrees. Once you get below freezing, you will be running the auxillary heat a lot. If you decide to go the air source route, you will want a second stage gas fired auxillary heat. I live in the mid-atlantic region in the mountains and selected GT. That choice was coupled with a blown cellulose insulation package. My other choice was a propane heat/electric AC with a foam insulation package. Both options were roughly the same install cost. Both would have provided similar energy efficiency. At the time we selected, propane was 3.75 a gallon and rising (with no end in sight) so we went with GT. The delta cost for the GT system (above the cost for a HE propane heat and electric AC system) was $15,000 for the heat pumps and loop plumbing (including pumps) plus $17,000 for digging the pit. The pit excavation should not have cost as much as it did but it is a 12 ton system and the hole was gigantic (120' x 48' x 6'). We live on a mountain and hit a bunch of boulders that required special equipment to get out. Rocky soil also required a 1' base of stone dust to cover the loop piping. The total cost for the GT HVAC system including all ducting was $50,000 plus the pit excavation cost of 17K. It is a large investment and I would only recommend it if you plan to live in the house a very long time. My heating bills are great - maybe 300 dollars maximum a month during peak winter for an 8500 square foot home (5900 living and the rest a condiitoned but unfinished basement). Make sure that whatever equipment you choose can be maintained by more than 1 very qualified HVAC company who has many years of GT experience. In my area there is only 1 GT company who has over 20 years of experience but I am stuck with them for maintenance. There have been times when I wanted to fire them but cannot. Local competition is a good thing. Also - if you build a tight home make sure that you consider ventilation and dehumidification in the HVAC design. I wound up adding both a whole house dehumidifier and energy recovery vent after we moved in becuase we had basement moisture issues as well as stale air in the winter. Tight homes are great for energy efficiency but can create health issues too. It is easy to deal with as long as you plan for it. Good luck with the build.
...See More
Heat pump vs air conditioner (San Diego, CA)
Q
Comments (11)
Thank you, to all, for your advice. The home is 3827 sq.ft. 2 levels, and we thought we needed to match the 4 ton furnaces. One company priced a 3 1/2 ton which I questioned, but he said if you need more they would upgrade it at no extra cost to us, so I guess they would do a load calc when we accept their bid or if we find it's not cooling enough. Should we be request a load calculation from someone now? I don't remember anyone mentioning doing a load calculation during the bid process. I also find it's very chilly on the first floor, even when the thermostat is set at 70 - 72. I don't think this house is insulated very well and I guess all the heat rises as well. Advice on next steps to take? Thank you for your help with this information. My husband is leaning towards AC, but I wondered if we were making a mistake not trying to go more energy efficient with a heat pump. It's all too new to me, but I'm learning.
...See More
Carrier 5Ton Puron Heat Pump/Air Conditioner Issue
Q
Comments (3)
It is a federal law to reclaim refrigerant properly. It cannot be released into the atmosphere intentionally, so they would have to recycle it. I question the $700 figure. You need to get more estimates, because the repair cost sounds high--I don't care how much refrigerant they have to recover. And no, you don't want to reuse contaminated refrigerant in a system. It needs to be clean, new refrigerant.
...See More
Heat Pump + Gas Furace/Air Conditioner + Steam boiler
Q
Comments (1)
Steam heating is the most expensive form of heating known to man: All the steam pipes must be 212+, and there are huge "transmission losses" as a result; if you don't maintain the traps, you get steam condensing in the condensate piping, increasing the transmission losses. Service life on the boiler should be at least 35 years, but you should save a lot if you stop using steam. The thing to remember about heat pumps is they're cheap heating-cooling systems; they're designed to use electricity efficiently, not to provide good heating comfort in cold weather. Expect widely-fluctuating air outlet temperatures when it's below freezing outside. If you can live with that, then I'd think a heat pump would be a good option; unfortunately, you won't qualify for the electric heating rate, so you'll be buying at the regular winter rate. The attic is unheated, relying on heat rising from the lower floors, right? I don't see how that would change, assuming you continue to heat the lower floors to the same temperature you're using now.
...See More
dbmet
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks I was quoted the cheap ACX13 with the 14HPX heat pump, and I went ahead and ask for prices on the XC 13 and XC14. I will try to get prices on the XC model with the better air handler today..
I heat with electric heat currently but also have a fireplace that we use. It's a 5 ton system.. Where I live cooling is much more important with 95-100 degree temps in the summer..
tigerdunes
12 years ago
dbmet

I would get a price on the XC14 AC and XP14 HP condensers with best matching air handler. Make the comparison and determine if the price difference is worth going to HP.

BTW, I see that Victoria has an average winter temp around 50 degrees fah. If you currently heat with a heat strip, do you know the size?

IMO
dbmet
Original Author
12 years ago
Great ill do that.. It a 20kw strip..
tigerdunes
12 years ago
20 KW is too large for your area/climate. even with a HP, I doubt you would have very many defrost calls.

cut back to a 15 KW and have it staged regardless whether you go with the AC or HP condenser.

keep in mind a 15 KW heat strip yields about 51 KBTUs which should be more than enough.

IMO
neohioheatpump
12 years ago
I would definitely go with the heatpump over A/C. The heatpump version shouldn't cost much more than the straight A/C. You will cut your electric usage dramatically during heating season with the heatpump. Its a no brainer to me. The heatpump will only use .25 to .33 of the electricity your heatstrips were using for the same heat.
dbmet
Original Author
12 years ago
When you purchase a heat pump and use it for cooling and heating, isn't that putting double the work on the compressor?thus shortening its life vs using heating strips?
weedmeister
12 years ago
Not near as much as you might think.
neohioheatpump
12 years ago
I've heard running a heatpump for heat during the cold isn't as hard as running for cold-air during the heat based on pressures in the system. Heat pumps last a plenty long time. They usually have extra features that protect them better than straight A/C's.
dbmet
Original Author
12 years ago
Got Prices back on the CBX27 Air handler
XC13 Electric/Electric 13.5 SEER with the CBX27 = $ 5,785.00
XC14 Electric/Electric 14.2 SEER with the CBX27 = $ 5,985.00

XC13 paired with CBX26UH-060 5100.00
XC14 paired with CBX26UH-060 5354.00

Related Stories

DECORATING GUIDES 10 Ways to Hide That Air Conditioner

By Mariana Pickering (Emu Building Science)

Feeling boxed in designing around your mini-split air conditioner? Try one of these clever disguises and distractions

MOST POPULAR 5 Ways to Hide That Big Air Conditioner in Your Yard

By Mariana Pickering (Emu Building Science)

Don’t sweat that boxy A/C unit. Here’s how to place it out of sight and out of mind

KITCHEN DESIGN How to Choose the Right Hood Fan for Your Kitchen

By The Sky is the Limit Design

Keep your kitchen clean and your home's air fresh by understanding all the options for ventilating via a hood fan

HEALTHY HOME A Guide to Indoor Air Purifiers

By Laura Gaskill

Get the lowdown on air filtration systems for your house and the important ratings to look out for

GREAT HOME PROJECTS How to Add a Radiant Heat System

By Mariana Pickering (Emu Building Science)

Enjoy comfy, consistent temperatures and maybe even energy savings with hydronic heating and cooling

DECORATING GUIDES 12 Ways to Cool Your Home Without Air Conditioning

By Shawn Gauthier

If your summer energy bill is leaving you hot under the collar, consider these savvy alternate strategies for cooling down

BATHROOM DESIGN How to Choose the Best Drain for Your Shower

By By Any Design Ltd.

Don't settle for a cheap fix when you can pick a shower drain that suits your style preferences and renovation codes alike

DECLUTTERING Downsizing Help: Choosing What Furniture to Leave Behind

By Becky Dietrich, Interior Designer

What to take, what to buy, how to make your favorite furniture fit ... get some answers from a homeowner who scaled way down

FLOORS Floors Warm Up to Radiant Heat

By Lindsey M. Roberts

Toasty toes and money saved are just two benefits of radiant heat under your concrete, wood or tile floors

GREEN BUILDING Houzz Tour: Passive House in Vermont Slashes Heating Bills

By Becky Harris

Its ecofriendly, low-maintenance design leaves a family with more time to relax and enjoy the weekend home

Sponsored

Dream Baths by Kitchen Kraft

12 Reviews

Your Custom Bath Designers & Remodelers in Columbus I 10X Best Houzz

More Discussions

Overamping and hard start kits

31

Cooling Mini Splits

65

A/c making humming sound

4

Typical charge to install fuse

33

humidifier for a furnace in a closet

0