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#1001 LJ

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Posted 12 February 2025 - 07:55 PM

New heat pumps don’t come with a backup electric resistance heater anymore. When people ask about them I don’t recommend them either. It adds about $1200 for exactly zero benefit.

New heat pumps are significantly more efficient, especially in cold weather, compared to what you have now. Unfortunately there’s currently no government rebates for heat pump to heat pump upgrades.

It’s like a car. An older one will require some maintenance to keep it on the road. At some point it might make more sense to buy new and enjoy the 12 year warranty and greater efficiency rather than forking out $600 to diagnose and top up leaking refrigerant or whatever every year…
For new heat pumps I do recommend a service at least once every few years, just to keep any potential problems at bay. Most companies will do this for about $200.

In your situation I’d look at doing a new heat pump using the Canada greener homes 0% loan if you wanted to upgrade. That’s probably the only gov subsidy you can access.

Or just put in a new gas furnace if your hydro bill is exorbitant. Get several quotes and make them compete for your business, you can probably get it done for $5k for a 96% efficient 2 stage furnace. Or much less if you buy a used furnace off Marketplace and pay a gas fitter to install it. Those things usually last 20+ years with very few issues.

Thanks for the info mb. What heat pumps come with a 12 year warranty? My BIL had a Samsung installed last year and has had nothing but trouble with it. What brands do you see with the fewest problems?

Is the air coming out of the registers warmer than the older ones? Mine comes out a few degrees warmer than the ambient air, my old gas furnace came out way warmer and could warm the house up in minutes.

In the summer is the output air cooler than an older unit?


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Life's a journey......so roll down the window and enjoy the breeze.

#1002 phx

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Posted 12 February 2025 - 09:23 PM

Government should be more actively subsidizing insulation, window replacements, etc.

...

Canada should become a global leader in insulation technology.

I remember when the feds promoted UFFI.

 

It did not end well.



#1003 max.bravo

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Posted 13 February 2025 - 08:29 AM

Thanks for the info mb. What heat pumps come with a 12 year warranty? My BIL had a Samsung installed last year and has had nothing but trouble with it. What brands do you see with the fewest problems?
Is the air coming out of the registers warmer than the older ones? Mine comes out a few degrees warmer than the ambient air, my old gas furnace came out way warmer and could warm the house up in minutes.
In the summer is the output air cooler than an older unit?

Fujitsu, daikin, and Samsung have 12 year warranty if the company does enough installations to earn 12 yr warranty from the supplier, otherwise it’s a standard 10 year warranty.
I actually like Samsung units, haven’t had problems with them. Their appliances have a bad reputation but their hvac stuff I’ve found to be very reliable. Can’t go wrong with Fujitsu though.

You’re absolutely right that the air coming out of the heat pump is barely warmer than the room - that’s kind of the whole idea. Instead of blasting a flame to satisfy the thermostat, heat pumps work by moving a large volume of air around and conditioning it more slowly. It takes a bit of a mentality shift to get used to it if you’ve previously had a gas furnace. Basically you want to set it and forget it.

One upside to this arrangement is you get more even distribution of heat. Eg. bedrooms that are farther from the furnace (and therefore were colder than the rest of the house with a gas furnace) will now be warmer most of the time. This is because of the longer fan runtime - operating at a low blower speed, moving around all the air. It also helps with filtration.

Edited by max.bravo, 13 February 2025 - 08:29 AM.

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#1004 Mike K.

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Posted 13 February 2025 - 08:56 AM

Yes, circulating air is the key to winter heating.

It is recommended that homes use a simple fan all winter long to distribute heat throughout the house.

It’s a miracle worker for those of us who use wood stoves. The whole house is warmed up thanks to circulated air.

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#1005 Mike K.

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Posted 13 February 2025 - 09:51 AM

That circular solar array thing in the US desert is closing after only 11 years.

It happily took $1.6 billion taxpayer dollars, though.

https://illuminem.co...-after-11-years

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#1006 Tony

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Posted 13 February 2025 - 10:07 AM

 It was the world’s largest concentrating solar plant when it opened after receiving $1.6 billion in loan guarantees from DOE. That money has not been fully repaid.

 

Any information if any has been repaid or how much was repaid?



#1007 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 13 February 2025 - 11:03 AM

It probably never was the best idea.

#1008 Tony

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Posted 13 February 2025 - 04:19 PM

A link to info from an  ex CEO how and why so many bad decisions were made even when it was obvious to many that the project was not a good idea.

 

 

https://www.latitude...iled-to-launch/


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#1009 LJ

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Posted Yesterday, 07:48 PM

Basically you want to set it and forget it.

 

My understanding is that you should set your heat pump to a desired temp and leave it there.

The government ads are telling me to turn my thermostat down to 17C when sleeping or away, no thanks.


Life's a journey......so roll down the window and enjoy the breeze.

#1010 LJ

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Posted Yesterday, 07:49 PM

China is doing it's part to help out...

 

https://www.carbonbr...r-high-in-2024/


Life's a journey......so roll down the window and enjoy the breeze.

 



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