HVAC replacement advice needed!

14 years ago

Our 33 year old Luxaire AC has died, which I am so grateful for since now we MUST replace it instead of just talk about the energy savings we would get with a new unit. Our propane Lennox Pulse furnace is 20 years old, so we will be replacing it too.

Reading through this forum, I have discovered how much I don't know and need to learn to make the best decision.

Our house is a 1950s ranch, one level of about 2200 square feet, 50 miles north of Atlanta. We have and use a wood burning Buck Stove fireplace insert; mainly because my husband has a small lumber yard and we can burn leftover ends, and because it is so expensive to run our furnace. The stove keeps our main living area and our bedroom plenty warm when operating. The back bedrooms do stay rather chilly.

I am leaning toward a heat pump; my husband is not a fan of them. The price of propane keeps going up, our electric supplier is a cooperative.

Does a heat pump make sense for us? If not, what furnace should we get. What air conditioner would you recommend?

Grateful it's October and neither heat nor air is needed right now!

Thanks for any advice for us novices!

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Comments (4)

creek_side
14 years ago
A heat pump makes sense in your area. I'm about 120 miles north of you. We have a heat pump in our current house. It replaced a propane furnace and greatly reduced our heating costs.

We are currently building a new passive solar home. It will also have heat pump for cooling and supplemental heating.

You can buy heat pumps that use propane for back up heat when it gets really cold, but I don't see a ROI in them. They cost more initially, and propane is so expensive (and likley to go higher) that it makes more sense to just rely on the heat pump's back up heat strips for supplemental heat. A wood burning stove helps, too.
tigerdunes
14 years ago
sjharris

Heat pumps have been used in the Southeast for many years and developed a bad reputation due to "cold heat". those days are over for the new models.

if operating costs are important, I would get rid of the propane heat altogether. you live in an area/climate that is perfect for HPs. you may need your electric service/breaker panel modified or upgraded for backup heat strips. ask your quoting dealers.

here is my recommendation.

15 SEER, 12.5+ EER, 9 HSPF
best matching var speed air handler
full BTUs both cooling and heating for rated size
R-410a refrigerant
new and correctly sized refrigerant lineset
scroll compressor
electronic demand defrost preferred
staged backup heat strips
thermostat with "dehumidify on demand" feature

Look at Carrier Performance 15 "H" model(sister mdl Bryant Preferred 15 "H" model) or Trane XL15i(sister mdl Am Std Heritage 15). You will probably find Carrier or Bryant less expensive.

IMO
Good Luck!
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sjh53
Original Author
14 years ago
Looks like 2 votes for the HP and none for the propane furnace; my thoughts exactly! I appreciate the good advice and am going to print out your specific recommendation, tigerdunes, for my husband to get estimates. After sharing these responses with him, he is at least willing to now consider a HP. His bias against them is based, I'm sure, on older models that people have had.
tigerdunes
14 years ago
sjharris

just so you know, I am up the road from you in SC.
I have never had a HP before until I put in my dual fuel system several yrs ago. I kind of hedged my bet but I have never looked back or regret the HP. It is doing a great job and saving me in operating costs. I have no doubt that a properly sized high eff HP system will do the same for you and I would definitely get rid of the propane for heating. Propane would be OK for cooking, drying, or fireplace logs.

I would recommend that your ductwork system be thoroughly inspected and if you have any hot/cold spots within your home, now is the time to address those type issues.

you might want to check with your coop and see if they offer any rate incentives for HP heating.

IMO

HVAC replacement advice needed!

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HVAC replacement advice needed!

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creek_side

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