Heat pumps and other home energy improvements

[Puget]

Bringing the heat pump discussion here so as not to derail the "colleges in dire financial straits" thread.

About 16 years ago I was told I wouldn't be able to just continue repairing my HVAC, I'd have to replace it.
Haven't done it yet, though a more modern system probably could heat and cool more efficiently.

Not to derail this thread, but now is the time to look into heat pumps.

We replaced out entre HVAC system this last year with heat pumps. They are NOT cheap! HVAC as a whole the prices have gone through the roof in the last 2 years or so. Partly due to supply chain issues, and partly because of increased awareness of energy efficiency.
   We now have a monthly payment (interest free) that is bigger than a car payment to pay off our new heat pumps. Our old units were 20+ years old so it was overdue, and we hope to see the power bills slows drop- we are on balanced billing so it will take a while to see the change in the monthly bills.

I'm open to going with heat pumps for my house when the time to make a major HVAC replacement comes (Hopefully not anytime too soon!).  As for the library...I'm not sure it would even be possible to retrofit the type of system we have to work with heat pumps.  If it was, it would undoubtedly be fearfully expensive, perhaps in the same ballpark as a year's normal operating budget.  I know that the figure quoted for going with an alternative system that we asked about last year was pretty appalling.

They really lost an opportunity to build a long-term energy efficient building when they built this place in the early 2000s.  The members of the planning committee were all members of a generation that grew up in an era of abundant cheap energy, and probably just never learned to think in terms of energy efficiency.

[dismalist]

Heat pumps are good if the temperature doesn't go below freezing, I read somewhere.

[Puget]

I bought my house in 2019, and have slowly been chipping away at home improvements, mostly centered on energy efficiency. Besides insulation and heat sealing work (which came completely free from the state!), so far I've done the following:

I got two air-source heat pumps (aka ductless mini-splits) put in a little over a year ago, one upstairs and one downstairs in my small house. It is true, they are not cheap, although there are some good tax incentives. But the payback point can be pretty quick on them, depending on what you were heating and cooling with before. They are incredibly efficient and effective for cooling, really cutting those costs, especially compared to window units. In a mild climate they could supply all your heat, but with cold winters you need supplemental heat (in my case from the original oil boiler the house came with, plus a gas fireplace I had installed). They've cut my oil use in half, which is great both financially and environmentally. They also run very quietly (unless you turn the fan up) which is nice.

I also recently got a heat pump hot water heater. These are super efficient and also have some good rebates (depending on your state) and tax incentives.  My hot water had been supplied by the oil boiler, which was fine when it was running anyway in the winter, but otherwise both super inefficient and very slow for the water to get hot. Very happy with the new water heater in contrast.

The biggest purchase was solar panels, coming up on a year ago. There is a really good 30% federal tax credit for these currently (not an income deduction, an actual write-off against tax you owe). With that, it makes financial sense to buy rather than lease them, even with a loan. I'm on track to produce at least 80% of my total electricity used for the year (amassing net metering credits in the summer and spending them down in the winter).

[apl68]

Heat pumps are good if the temperature doesn't go below freezing, I read somewhere.

There was a vogue for heat pumps in the wake of the 1970s energy crisis.  They earned a reputation in some quarters for inadequate performance during the winter.  Even in regions with mild winters, such as ours.  They've reportedly improved greatly in efficiency and effectiveness in recent years.  As Puget notes, in climates that are (for the time being) really cold they may not be enough in the winter.

[apl68]

The biggest purchase was solar panels, coming up on a year ago. There is a really good 30% federal tax credit for these currently (not an income deduction, an actual write-off against tax you owe). With that, it makes financial sense to buy rather than lease them, even with a loan. I'm on track to produce at least 80% of my total electricity used for the year (amassing net metering credits in the summer and spending them down in the winter).

Home solar is just out of most people's reach around here, even with prices coming down in recent years.  There are a few people trying it here and there.  I know one who greatly reduced his cost by knowing enough about wiring and such to do his own installation.

What we have seen around here is growing numbers of larger solar projects.  Some local government entities have begun installing their own solar power sources.  There has also been a large commercial solar array under construction just a mile or so down the road from where I sit.  When I consider that it's replacing approximately a square mile of what had been timber land, I have to wonder how much it's really contributing to decarbonization.  Seems a bit like cutting down a swathe of rain forest to grow crops for ethanol.

[lightning]

My previous employer, a small college, had to finally replace its HVAC system after many years of deferred maintenance. It was a devastating cost.

While I was living there, I had radiated heat (boiler & pipes). I loved how quiet it was and its even heating throughout the house. That boiler, which was original, will never die (AFAIK, and according to my former neighbors, it's still there and running just fine). And, unlike my current high-tech fancy shmancy forced air HVAC furnace, I could actually get competent people to repair a boiler.

[Parasaurolophus]

Heat pumps are good if the temperature doesn't go below freezing, I read somewhere.

Depends on your pump, but you can get one good down to -30C. As long as you have a backup--which, in a cold climate, you should--you're fine.

[Puget]

Heat pumps are good if the temperature doesn't go below freezing, I read somewhere.

There was a vogue for heat pumps in the wake of the 1970s energy crisis.  They earned a reputation in some quarters for inadequate performance during the winter.  Even in regions with mild winters, such as ours.  They've reportedly improved greatly in efficiency and effectiveness in recent years.  As Puget notes, in climates that are (for the time being) really cold they may not be enough in the winter.

They have improved dramatically, and the ones designed for cold climates do really well down to at least the 20s. You do need a supplemental source of heat in cold climates, so if they are being added people just keep their old system in place for that.