Man Cave Heating and Air

13 years ago

The new house will be 2500 Sqr Feet and insulated with Open Cell Foam in Aiken South Carolina (Hot Summers). A 3 Ton 13 Seer heat pump will be used for heating and air conditioning the house but I will have a separate building - a 20 x 20 Mancave about 100 yards away from the house.

The house and Mancave will be in Aiken South Carolina so it will be hot summers. I am trying to figure out how to heat and cool the ManCave efficiently. It will have rolled insulation and it will have sheetrock. Should I just use a Window Air Conditioner for the cooling and buy a woodstove for the really cold days ?

ThanksIt will be a separate building and I have to figure out

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Comments (9)

tigerdunes
13 years ago
foodee

the idea of installing a basic 13 SEER heat pump system for new construction in Aiken SC is a poor decision. I can see that for your separate bldg but not your home.

why insulate your home well with above average properties and then go low end on HVAC? doesn't make a bit of sense to me. you might even consider putting the numbers to the paper and consider geothermal.

I hate to see the direction you are leaning.

Sorry.

IMO
foodeefish
Original Author
13 years ago
The reason for the 13 Seer Heat pump is it is only 6 months old and given to me from a friend so why throw it out.

Would it not be overkill to use the 13 Seer for a one room 20x20 Mancave and if not, what should I purchase for the new house?
I have been told the new Heat Pumps are almost as efficient as geothermal and Geothermal would add an extra $12,000 in costs.
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david_cary
13 years ago
Original question - window unit and stove. Why have ducts in a single room structure. Now - there are minisplits and wall units. I'm just saying, don't do a full central air system.

On your house - you do know that 3 tons might not be enough? Its in the windows. You can insulate and seal but if you have large west facing windows - the heat gain could overwhelm your system. This might be unlikely but boy wouldn't that suck.

"New heat pumps almost as efficient as geothermal." Well - 13 Seer is certainly not. Geo is just a heat pump system - it's just that water at 60 degrees is always a better place to move heat in and out of then ambient air temp. Water is far easier/less energy to pump than air. 60 degrees is always better than air because in the summer, you never see air as low as 60. In the winter, if it is 60 degrees out, you don't need heat so 60 is always better than ambient.

The correct statement is that a water source heat pump is always more efficient than an air source heat pump. (Now if you have to use a lot of energy to pump from deep in the ground, that could be worse).

I think it is fair to say (in the South) that a HE heat pump has may have a better rate of return than a vertical loop geothermal.

I doubt geo would be worth it for you but you should at least factor in the tax credit when you are given numbers. $12k may include the tax credit and in that case, it is clearly not worth it. For some people, the extra cost for geothermal is small and worth it even in the South. I say even in the South because our utility costs are often too low to justify the extra cost. Geo helps more in the winter anyway. I know I'll get in trouble with blanket statements but the OP is probably looking at $600/yr or so total HVAC costs. Geo might cut that $200 - maybe.
creek_side
13 years ago
I know I'll get in trouble with blanket statements but the OP is probably looking at $600/yr or so total HVAC costs.

A $50 monthly average heating and cooling bill assuming an all electric house? Even factoring out non-HVAC electricity costs, that would be an unusually low bill almost anywhere.
david_cary
13 years ago
Creekside - perhaps. Maybe I underestimate. I have 7 tons of cooling, 4000+ sq ft with 9-11 ft ceilings. 16 east facing windows and 10 west. Conventional insulation. $700 winter $500 a/c.

Take 2500 sq feet with foam and properly sized at 3 tons - I think 1/2 my total would be reasonable.
foodeefish
Original Author
13 years ago
So do I scrap the Goodwin model number GPH13M21AB and buy a SEER 15 of 16 to be more efficient or do I run this 13 SEER till it blows up and then upgrade?
We will have high efficient Ply Gem Mira Pro Series Double Hung Vinyl/Clad wood series 800 windows and doors and $15,000 worth of open cell foam insulation.

How fast would the payback be purchasing a 16 or 17 SEER versus using the existing 13 SEER?

Thanks for all the help.
weedmeister
13 years ago
What is your cost for electricity?

Can you sell the Goodman on Ebay or Craigslist?
energy_rater_la
13 years ago
that much for insulation and windows with a unit that is
the legal minimum efficiency allowed...
I'm not going to get into that discussion...but your payback would not be more than 7 years to upgrade the true cost between 13 and 15 to 17 SEER
your choice of system on your house that work 24/7 for your comfort.add in variable speed and properly designed, installed and sealed ductwork....
your foam insulation if you foamed the walls will
be 20+ years payback,.

but for the mancave..why not heat pump P-tac
unit? its inexpensive.
david_cary
13 years ago
Devils advocate here - If you are just doing a/c (ie not heat pump) and you pay $.11 per kwh and have a foamed house - you might be paying $500 a year for AC. I suspect a 3 ton seer 15 is $3000. It would save roughly $100 a year. That to me would be a 30 year payback.

Now I am totally guessing on the price. I'm guessing a seer 13 3 ton is worth $2300. So if you are comparing the difference in price - sure it is a 7 year payback. But getting the system for free changes the math dramatically.

Now trying to find an installer for a used system and getting a warranty might be another issue.

Man Cave Heating and Air

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tigerdunes

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Comments (9)

tigerdunes

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