Heat pump?

[jackelope]

Not hunting related... Sorry. There's an answer for everything here though.

Has anyone made the switch to a heat pump? My family is considering buying a new house that has a heat pump. It's got propane from a tank in the yard that also fuels the furnace, but has a heat pump and a/c. We're curious to know the ins and outs of those systems. Do they work and save money? Propane is not cheap. Wow.
I'm sort of wondering if with no city sewer bill, and the heat pump, if that will sort of even out the utility bill? The place does have city water, but propane and septic.
Also, on a somewhat related topic, has anyone ever moved a propane tank? This place has a tank, I think it's a 500 gallon tank, right in the middle of the yard. If we buy it, I would like to look into having it moved off to the side of the yard.
Thanks in advance.

[baker5150]

Heat pumps can be extremely efficient.  Depending on the Efficiency rating of the heat pump itself and it being properly sized, installed and maintained.

If you get me the Make, Model, and Serial number of the heat pump I can tell you all about it.

[Special T]

My Folks have a Propane Heat pumo combo... Pretty common actually. Heat pumps work great in NW weather where its fairly mild. They work good in a range of 20-90deg or soemthing like that. Very efficient. Propane is a kicker because it works well in tandem to bump the temp up in the home. Great for when its colder than the efficent range. You can move the tank but there are set back rules from the property line and that could be why its in the middle of the lawn.

[follow maggie]

I put a heat pump on my house and love it.  I'll never go back

[Special T]

Bst part is you get AC and Heat at pretty efficient price to operate.

[elkaholic123]

Bst part is you get AC and Heat at pretty efficient price to operate.

  I added heat pump last year to my natural gas forced air furnace, money well spent.

[jackelope]

Thanks guys. This person went all out with this house so I assume it's done right. I'll get that model info ASAP. Also has a 14kw Generac auto switch propane generator built in and a fire suppression system too.

[wsmnut]

Our energy costs went down after changing to a heat pump about 5 years ago.
Love it.  And the advantage of having that cool air on in the summer is awesome.

[DaveMonti]

The heat pump uses significantly less energy than electric resistance heat.  It is also more efficient than propane from an energy basis.  Propane here is very expensive, so you will be spending less on energy as a whole, especially since the propane will only be used when it's too cold for the heat pump to provide adequate heat. 
The one thing that you will have to consider is that your summer electric bill will probably go up if you don't have AC now!  You will have much better comfort in the summer, so it will be worth it!  You're annual energy bill will be lower, even with the AC use in the summer!

Let me know and we can talk about it if you want.  I work in the energy field, and know a lot about residential, commercial, and industrial equipment that uses energy.

Dave

[BeWitty]

I don't want to thread Jack but I have a question about heat pump cycle frequency. My in-laws have a heat pump that seems to cycle on and off way too often but I don't know much about them other than they are supposed to be efficient. I went ahead and timed the cycles. During the day it runs for 3 minutes, and then is off for three minutes. It seemed to do this consistently for the hour I was outside.

Does this seem right? Thanks.

[jackelope]

The heat pump uses significantly less energy than electric resistance heat.  It is also more efficient than propane from an energy basis.  Propane here is very expensive, so you will be spending less on energy as a whole, especially since the propane will only be used when it's too cold for the heat pump to provide adequate heat. 
The one thing that you will have to consider is that your summer electric bill will probably go up if you don't have AC now!  You will have much better comfort in the summer, so it will be worth it!  You're annual energy bill will be lower, even with the AC use in the summer!

Let me know and we can talk about it if you want.  I work in the energy field, and know a lot about residential, commercial, and industrial equipment that uses energy.

Dave

Thanks Dave! Really need to get together one of these days!!

[DaveMonti]

Short cycling can be caused by a multitude of problems, including low refrigerant, AC coil icing (probably not at this time of year!), control problems or setpoints, damaged compressor, etc.  It's probably best to have someone service it when they can witness the problem.  It's a pretty common problem with many potential causes!

[DaveMonti]

The heat pump uses significantly less energy than electric resistance heat.  It is also more efficient than propane from an energy basis.  Propane here is very expensive, so you will be spending less on energy as a whole, especially since the propane will only be used when it's too cold for the heat pump to provide adequate heat. 
The one thing that you will have to consider is that your summer electric bill will probably go up if you don't have AC now!  You will have much better comfort in the summer, so it will be worth it!  You're annual energy bill will be lower, even with the AC use in the summer!

Let me know and we can talk about it if you want.  I work in the energy field, and know a lot about residential, commercial, and industrial equipment that uses energy.

Dave

Thanks Dave! Really need to get together one of these days!!

I have a propane heater in my shop (electric forced air in the house) and looked into moving the tank.  The pipe that runs underground has to be protected from corrosion and I think it's usually epoxy coated.  You'll have to contact the propane company because they typically own the tank (you have to buy from them if they do) and they will probably come out and inspect it after you buy the house.  I don't use much propane in the shop (I heat with wood when it needs heating), so I didn't enter into any purchase agreement (I will call when I need it, not have them auto fill or anything like that).  Propane can be a racket with the purchase agreements, pricing, etc.  I've been here for 3 winters and have not had to fill my tank for the shop yet. 

We will definitely have to get together sometime soon!

[PolarBear]

Short cycling can be caused by a multitude of problems, including low refrigerant, AC coil icing (probably not at this time of year!), control problems or setpoints, damaged compressor, etc.  It's probably best to have someone service it when they can witness the problem.  It's a pretty common problem with many potential causes!

First thing to always check on a heat pump is the filter.  When I installed and serviced heat pumps most of my calls were solved by simply changing out a filter.   
Jackalope, heat pumps are the way to go!!  I won't have another house without one!

[Forks]

Having a mid efficiency propane furnace without a heat pimp would be spendy to run as others have mentioned. The bonus of AC will be nice this summer if it's anything like last years!