Where? Is natural gas available?

Ontario Canada no natural gas availabe

"Ontario Canada no natural gas availabe"

“Are heat pumps good investment on a new build?”

Yes!

SR

Huh?

If natural gas is not available, then the heating choices are fuel oil, electric baseboard heating, and a heat pump. A heat pump costs about third the price to operate compared to electric heating. For that choice the heat pump is a good investment.

Choosing between fuel oil a heat pump you have to determine what the local real estate market views as more favorable.. If you plan to have central AC, then the heat pump becomes an upgrade and a good investment.

You need to check the provincial regulations. As well, some municpalities have local regulations so you'll want to call your local building permit office,

This could get you started.

https://www.ontario.ca/page/installing-vertical-closed-loop-ground-source-heat-pumps

1000% yes for a new build. You will have option of ground and water source which offer excellent efficiencies.

An explanation if the different heat pump options: https://youtu.be/N-oX8G6hnYk

"1000% yes for a new build. You will have option of ground and water source which offer excellent efficiencies."

I think she's talking about air-sourced heat pumps.

I am near a fast flowing river ive heard that you can run something from that we are open to any suggestions for economical heat/ac The units we have seen that resemble a/c units were not recommended to us by an Ontario Hydro worker who was checking out meter He says they dont work as well in our climate

Are you renovating an existing cottage, or you tearing it down to build a new one? If you are looking to keep heating and cooling costs low, you should first invest in upgrading insulation, new windows, and exterior doors.

Is the fast flowing river on your property? How far away is it from the cottage?

What is your budget for the new HVAC system? Ground source heat pumps using bodies of water can be expensive. It may provide the lowest operating costs, but the return on investment could be many years for a cottage.

Finally what is your electric rate?

we are picking up and moving an existing cottage we are putting in a new foundation/crawl space first and dropping the cottage on it we figured that now is the time to plan any underground utilities we are about 30’ from river Presently we have baseboard heaters which are very expensive to run our electric rate is changing as we are pretty much here full time so im not sure the rate Also, we built a new garage and it has a very large west facing metal roof so even solar panels are a consideration

We have budgeted about $25,000 for a system as we want the best cost affective system It wont be a cottage but a fulltime home we will be renovating with new windows, roof etc

Whatever your personal feelings are on global warming/climate crisis, I would not in a million years plop a house down 30’ from a river. We sold the last of our properties in flood prone areas (that never actually flooded) in January 2021 and we could not be more relieved. We are looking for more properties, but we will never again buy that close to water. And the increase in insurance in 2022 is astronomical. Best of luck, it sounds Bea

Beautiful!!

ShadyWillowFarm we are actually closer to river now and are moving it over and back Thirty years ago it was moved from being directly on the river this will be the second time moving it ! I hear what you are saying tho thanks

Fsq4cw thanks so much for answering We do have permits in place from 2 Regions for the work we are proposing Are you referring to permits for the geothermal from river idea?

We LOVE our heat pump and didn't care about the up front cost. We think of it as investment in the environment. And yes, it will be more efficient than baseboards (and absolutely greener than oil or wood). Also, if you do a split system, you can heat/cool in zones, making it even more cost efficient to run. You can also choose to hook it up to existing ducts if you want, but you'll need a new air handler, and you will have uneven hot/cold zones.

Obviously one of the best bangs for your buck is to insulate the crap out of this place.

There are lots of heat pumps that work really well in very cold temps, such as ours -- the Mitsibushi Hyper Heat. So far the coldest it's dropped in our city is 20°F (-6°C) -- which is super rare -- but our heat pump kept working just fine. Supposedly the Mitsibushi drops to 85% heating performance down to -13° F (-26°C) outdoor ambient. Since you're in Ontario, maybe you will need a backup source just in case, but that all depends on how cold it typically gets at your cottage. (And in that case, I don't know if it's considered wise to invest in baseboards or if that would be overkill. Perhaps just the fireplace and/or a couple radiator style space heaters would suffice. IDK, something to look into.)

You have gotten 2-permits to do what, exactly?

Yes, I am referring to permits to use any body of water other than a small pond entirely on your property.

Even though a pond loop in a river is possible I would hesitate to implement that solution. Some of the challenges involved in using a pond loop in a river would be the challenges of seasonal water level changes, particularly lowering and exposing the loops with the accompanying loss of efficiency, burying the runouts from the river to the house so that they do not freeze and are buried below the frostline. I have even heard of lake runouts to the house being chewed up by beavers, squashed by moose, pond loops damaged by boater’s propellors during low water levels and being dragged by boat anchors. Again, I’m not saying it can’t be done, it can be done - but know what you’re getting into. Hire professionals that know what they’re doing!

That’s why I’m suggesting a ground loop drilled inside the foundation envelope, appearing in the new mechanical room (before the placement of the house), as it would be the least expensive, completely protected loop design - particularly if you’re already having a new water well drilled!

You did not mention how many square feet your home is.

IMPO

SR