New A/C - 3 Ton

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Author

Date

New A/C - 3 Ton

Firehawk1532002

03-18-2007

<kjpro

udarrell

Bubba

udarrell

Bubba

udarrell

Bubba

Jeffrey Lebowsk...

Josh

Noon-Air

Bubba

Firehawk1532002

<kjpro

Steve Scott

Bubba

Stormin Mormon

<kjpro

Noon-Air

Stormin Mormon

<kjpro

Noon-Air

Oztech

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Posted by on March 18, 2007, 5:19 pm

Hi, I live in northern Louisiana and I've got a 16-year old 3 ton
Central A/C with electric heating. My wife and I got married in 2005
and moved into our current house (about 1200 square feet; built in the
mid 1970's) and twice every year during the summer we've had to get
R-22 put into the unit because of coil leaks (typically once in April,
once in August). We've also had to pay very high heating bills and it
hasn't even been that cold around here.

I would like to get a new unit for the house, something that's more
efficient than what we've got now. There's a local guy that comes and
charges up my A/C and he told me that new SEER-13; 3-Ton unit with a
heat pump should cost about $3500 with installation (that was the
estimate he gave me last year). I haven't crunched the numbers yet
but I'm hoping that the amount that I would save on a monthly basis
would help offset the cost of the unit because I'd like to get it
financed if I could.

Here are my questions:

1.) Would it be better to replace the coil in my current system and
just keep chugging along until the thing breaks completely? The A/C
guy told me that the coil is one of the most expensive components of
the unit and that if I replace the coil I should probably replace the
whole thing.

2.) I've heard good things about the heat pumps but are they really
that good? I think the A/C guy quoted me about $2800 to $2900 for a
conventional system w/out the heat-pump so I'd be spending $600-$700
more. Just for reference; my December, January, and February
electricity bills have been $250, $270, and $290 respectively. so if a
heat pump really does reduce the heating costs by a significant amount
then I could see where this would add up for me.

3.) Do the above prices sound reasonable for a 3-ton; 13 SEER Unit w/
Installation?

4.) Are the newer units efficient enough to where a modern 2 Ton unit
could do the job of an older 3-ton unit or is that not the case?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated,

Josh

Posted by on March 18, 2007, 7:19 pm

Inline reply...

> Hi, I live in northern Louisiana and I've got a 16-year old 3 ton

> Central A/C with electric heating. My wife and I got married in 2005

> and moved into our current house (about 1200 square feet; built in the

> mid 1970's) and twice every year during the summer we've had to get

> R-22 put into the unit because of coil leaks (typically once in April,

> once in August). We've also had to pay very high heating bills and it

> hasn't even been that cold around here.

In your area you should be operating a heat pump to save on your utility
bills!

> I would like to get a new unit for the house, something that's more

> efficient than what we've got now. There's a local guy that comes and

> charges up my A/C and he told me that new SEER-13; 3-Ton unit with a

> heat pump should cost about $3500 with installation (that was the

> estimate he gave me last year).

You can forget what you he told you LAST year, prices have went up like
everything else in the world.
You might want to look into a higher S.E.E.R. unit since you live in a
warm/humid/southern climate.

> I haven't crunched the numbers yet

> but I'm hoping that the amount that I would save on a monthly basis

> would help offset the cost of the unit because I'd like to get it

> financed if I could.

Operating a Heat Pump over your straight electric heat is going to save you
a LOT of money in operating costs.

> Here are my questions:

> 1.) Would it be better to replace the coil in my current system and

> just keep chugging along until the thing breaks completely? The A/C

> guy told me that the coil is one of the most expensive components of

> the unit and that if I replace the coil I should probably replace the

> whole thing.

No, it's time to replace the COMPLETE system and start saving money. Not
only will you be saving on operational cost, but you will not be having to
call for service twice a year to have it repaired!

Plus, the new unit will be sized correctly (requires a Manual J 'load
calculation') and you will have a WARRANTY to boot.

> 2.) I've heard good things about the heat pumps but are they really

> that good? I think the A/C guy quoted me about $2800 to $2900 for a

> conventional system w/out the heat-pump so I'd be spending $600-$700

> more. Just for reference; my December, January, and February

> electricity bills have been $250, $270, and $290 respectively. so if a

> heat pump really does reduce the heating costs by a significant amount

> then I could see where this would add up for me.

Yes they are THAT good. Just think what you would do if your electric bill
was cut in half?
Heat Pumps operate anywhere from 2.0 - 4.5 COP with an outdoor temperature
of 0 - 65 degrees F.

What does that mean to you?
A COP of 2.0 means it's two times as efficient as straight electric. A COP
of 4.5 means it's 4.5 times as efficient as straight electric.

Electric Heat $100 Heat Pump 2.0 COP at 0F = $50
(50 % savings!!!!)

Electric Heat $100 Heat Pump 4.5 COP at 65F = $22.22
(77% savings!!!!)

Like those figures? I thought you would. :-)

> 3.) Do the above prices sound reasonable for a 3-ton; 13 SEER Unit w/

> Installation?

They sound cheap, especially at TODAY'S costs. Remember things have
drastically went up in price.
The fact that no one here can SEE your home over the internet also adds
complication to the proposal.

Cheap now doesn't always equate to cheap in the long run. Find a competent
HVAC company and do your homework.

> 4.) Are the newer units efficient enough to where a modern 2 Ton unit

> could do the job of an older 3-ton unit or is that not the case?

The installing company needs to do a load calculation, otherwise, EVERYTHING
is a guess.
Remember, your unit is 16 years old... what has change to the structure in
those 16 years?

Insulation, room additions, new windows, new doors, new screen doors,
smaller windows, more windows, etc, etc?

> Any insight would be greatly appreciated,

> Josh

Posted by TH on March 18, 2007, 7:04 pm

Thanks for the professional response.

For you guys that work in the field it may be difficult for you to
understand how totally foreign it seems for a homeowner to with a HVAC
contractor. Unless you find someone who flat out lies, you have no idea what
information that you are getting is valid. The guy that bought a truck last
week and gets units from e-bay often comes across as legit to a homeowner
who buys a system once or twice a decade. It's even worse if you just moved
into an area.

Many of us lurkers aren't trying to screw someone out of an honest wage,
just trying to become a more knowledgeable consumer.

> Inline reply...

>> Hi, I live in northern Louisiana and I've got a 16-year old 3 ton

>> Central A/C with electric heating. My wife and I got married in 2005

>> and moved into our current house (about 1200 square feet; built in the

>> mid 1970's) and twice every year during the summer we've had to get

>> R-22 put into the unit because of coil leaks (typically once in April,

>> once in August). We've also had to pay very high heating bills and it

>> hasn't even been that cold around here.

> In your area you should be operating a heat pump to save on your utility

> bills!

>> I would like to get a new unit for the house, something that's more

>> efficient than what we've got now. There's a local guy that comes and

>> charges up my A/C and he told me that new SEER-13; 3-Ton unit with a

>> heat pump should cost about $3500 with installation (that was the

>> estimate he gave me last year).

> You can forget what you he told you LAST year, prices have went up like

> everything else in the world.

> You might want to look into a higher S.E.E.R. unit since you live in a

> warm/humid/southern climate.

>> I haven't crunched the numbers yet

>> but I'm hoping that the amount that I would save on a monthly basis

>> would help offset the cost of the unit because I'd like to get it

>> financed if I could.

> Operating a Heat Pump over your straight electric heat is going to save

> you

> a LOT of money in operating costs.

>> Here are my questions:

>> 1.) Would it be better to replace the coil in my current system and

>> just keep chugging along until the thing breaks completely? The A/C

>> guy told me that the coil is one of the most expensive components of

>> the unit and that if I replace the coil I should probably replace the

>> whole thing.

> No, it's time to replace the COMPLETE system and start saving money. Not

> only will you be saving on operational cost, but you will not be having to

> call for service twice a year to have it repaired!

> Plus, the new unit will be sized correctly (requires a Manual J 'load

> calculation') and you will have a WARRANTY to boot.

>> 2.) I've heard good things about the heat pumps but are they really

>> that good? I think the A/C guy quoted me about $2800 to $2900 for a

>> conventional system w/out the heat-pump so I'd be spending $600-$700

>> more. Just for reference; my December, January, and February

>> electricity bills have been $250, $270, and $290 respectively. so if a

>> heat pump really does reduce the heating costs by a significant amount

>> then I could see where this would add up for me.

> Yes they are THAT good. Just think what you would do if your electric bill

> was cut in half?

> Heat Pumps operate anywhere from 2.0 - 4.5 COP with an outdoor temperature

> of 0 - 65 degrees F.

> What does that mean to you?

> A COP of 2.0 means it's two times as efficient as straight electric. A COP

> of 4.5 means it's 4.5 times as efficient as straight electric.

> Electric Heat $100 Heat Pump 2.0 COP at 0F = $50

> (50 % savings!!!!)

> Electric Heat $100 Heat Pump 4.5 COP at 65F = $22.22

> (77% savings!!!!)

> Like those figures? I thought you would. :-)

>> 3.) Do the above prices sound reasonable for a 3-ton; 13 SEER Unit w/

>> Installation?

> They sound cheap, especially at TODAY'S costs. Remember things have

> drastically went up in price.

> The fact that no one here can SEE your home over the internet also adds

> complication to the proposal.

> Cheap now doesn't always equate to cheap in the long run. Find a competent

> HVAC company and do your homework.

>> 4.) Are the newer units efficient enough to where a modern 2 Ton unit

>> could do the job of an older 3-ton unit or is that not the case?

> The installing company needs to do a load calculation, otherwise,

> EVERYTHING

> is a guess.

> Remember, your unit is 16 years old... what has change to the structure in

> those 16 years?

> Insulation, room additions, new windows, new doors, new screen doors,

> smaller windows, more windows, etc, etc?

>> Any insight would be greatly appreciated,

>> Josh

Posted by udarrell on March 19, 2007, 11:20 am

TH wrote:

>Thanks for the professional response.

>For you guys that work in the field it may be difficult for you to

>understand how totally foreign it seems for a homeowner to with a HVAC

>contractor. Unless you find someone who flat out lies, you have no idea what

>information that you are getting is valid. The guy that bought a truck last

>week and gets units from e-bay often comes across as legit to a homeowner

>who buys a system once or twice a decade. It's even worse if you just moved

>into an area.

>Many of us lurkers aren't trying to screw someone out of an honest wage,

>just trying to become a more knowledgeable consumer.

>>Inline reply...

>>>Hi, I live in northern Louisiana and I've got a 16-year old 3 ton

>>>Central A/C with electric heating. My wife and I got married in 2005

>>>and moved into our current house (about 1200 square feet; built in the

>>>mid 1970's) and twice every year during the summer we've had to get

>>>R-22 put into the unit because of coil leaks (typically once in April,

>>>once in August). We've also had to pay very high heating bills and it

>>>hasn't even been that cold around here.

>>>

>>In your area you should be operating a heat pump to save on your utility

>>bills!

>>>I would like to get a new unit for the house, something that's more

>>>efficient than what we've got now. There's a local guy that comes and

>>>charges up my A/C and he told me that new SEER-13; 3-Ton unit with a

>>>heat pump should cost about $3500 with installation (that was the

>>>estimate he gave me last year).

>>>

>>You can forget what you he told you LAST year, prices have went up like

>>everything else in the world.

>>You might want to look into a higher S.E.E.R. unit since you live in a

>>warm/humid/southern climate.

>>>I haven't crunched the numbers yet

>>>but I'm hoping that the amount that I would save on a monthly basis

>>>would help offset the cost of the unit because I'd like to get it

>>>financed if I could.

>>>

>>Operating a Heat Pump over your straight electric heat is going to save

>>you a LOT of money in operating costs.

>>>Here are my questions:

>>>

>>>1.) Would it be better to replace the coil in my current system and

>>>just keep chugging along until the thing breaks completely? The A/C

>>>guy told me that the coil is one of the most expensive components of

>>>the unit and that if I replace the coil I should probably replace the

>>>whole thing.

>>>

>>No, it's time to replace the COMPLETE system and start saving money. Not

>>only will you be saving on operational cost, but you will not be having to

>>call for service twice a year to have it repaired!

>>Plus, the new unit will be sized correctly (requires a Manual J 'load

>>calculation') and you will have a WARRANTY to boot.

>>>2.) I've heard good things about the heat pumps but are they really

>>>that good? I think the A/C guy quoted me about $2800 to $2900 for a

>>>conventional system w/out the heat-pump so I'd be spending $600-$700

>>>more. Just for reference; my December, January, and February

>>>electricity bills have been $250, $270, and $290 respectively. so if a

>>>heat pump really does reduce the heating costs by a significant amount

>>>then I could see where this would add up for me.

>>>

>>Yes they are THAT good. Just think what you would do if your electric bill

>>was cut in half?

>>Heat Pumps operate anywhere from 2.0 - 4.5 COP with an outdoor temperature

>>of 0 - 65 degrees F.

>>What does that mean to you?

>>A COP of 2.0 means it's two times as efficient as straight electric. A COP

>>of 4.5 means it's 4.5 times as efficient as straight electric.

>>Electric Heat $100 Heat Pump 2.0 COP at 0F = $50

>>(50 % savings!!!!)

>>Electric Heat $100 Heat Pump 4.5 COP at 65F = $22.22

>>(77% savings!!!!)

>>Like those figures? I thought you would. :-)

>>>3.) Do the above prices sound reasonable for a 3-ton; 13 SEER Unit w/

>>>Installation?

>>>

>>They sound cheap, especially at TODAY'S costs. Remember things have

>>drastically went up in price.

>>The fact that no one here can SEE your home over the internet also adds

>>complication to the proposal.

>>Cheap now doesn't always equate to cheap in the long run. Find a competent

>>HVAC company and do your homework.

>>>4.) Are the newer units efficient enough to where a modern 2 Ton unit

>>>could do the job of an older 3-ton unit or is that not the case?

>>>

>>The installing company needs to do a load calculation, otherwise,

>>EVERYTHING

>>is a guess.

>>Remember, your unit is 16 years old... what has change to the structure in

>>those 16 years?

>>Insulation, room additions, new windows, new doors, new screen doors,

>>smaller windows, more windows, etc, etc?

>>>Any insight would be greatly appreciated, Josh

>>>

An opportunity for consumers to learn enough about airconditioning -
hopefully to save themselves a lot of money.
I need to use streaming audio to relieve the reading chores however, the
free Realproducer software is causing upload problems.
<http://www.udarrell.com/proper_cfm_btuh_duct_sizing_air_conditioning_systems.html>http://www.udarrell.com/proper_cfm_btuh_duct_sizing_air_conditioning_systems.html

- udarrell

--
WISDOM PRINCIPLED EMPOWERMENT COMMUNICATIONS -
THE REAL POLITICAL ISSUES and WISDOM BASED PEOPLE EMPOWERMENT
http://www.udarrell.com/
http://www.udarrell.com/my_pages2.htm

Posted by Bubba on March 19, 2007, 4:19 pm

wrote:

>>>

>>>>Any insight would be greatly appreciated, Josh

>>>>

>An opportunity for consumers to learn enough about airconditioning -

>hopefully to save themselves a lot of money.

>I need to use streaming audio to relieve the reading chores however, the

>free Realproducer software is causing upload problems.

><http://www.udarrell.com/proper_cfm_btuh_duct_sizing_air_conditioning_systems.html>http://www.udarrell.com/proper_cfm_btuh_duct_sizing_air_conditioning_systems.html

>- udarrell

and hopefully, Udarrell, with any luck, you will teach all the
customers in your area well enough that you will be the first one to
go out of business and starve your family to death.
Good Luck
Bubba

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