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Posted by George Eberhardt on August 18, 2005, 6:28 am
> Hi,
> We live in southeast PA, near Philadelphia. We have a heat pump for
> heat and central air, with an oil furnace backup. We need to replace
> the heat pump because it has a Freon leak. It's 25 years old, so it's
> probably time.
>
> We've had three sales people out, and they each recommend different
> options. Should we:
>
> 1. Replace the heat pump and add electric backup, eliminating the oil
> furnace? Electricity here is about 14.5 cents/kwh, though supposedly
> there's a discount for all-electric houses.
This is the option I would choose. It eliminates the oil tank, and the
chances of a spill.
> 2. Replace the heat pump and keep the oil backup? The furnace is also
> about 25 years old, but it hasn't run that much because it's backup
> only. It tested at 82% efficiency last fall. One rep told me new ones
> were about 86-90% efficiency. But another rep told us the old furnace
> fan can't be used with a new heat pump.
Depends on how many gallons of oil you use each year, and other associated
costs. If you are using enough oil to make the cost of a new more efficient
furnace worthwhile, you need to consider a more efficient heat pump.
>
> 3. Make the oil furnace our primary heat and just replace the central
> air? I do like the feel of hot air coming out of the vents when it's
> cold.
As the price of heating oil goes up you will enjoy the heat the you get from
your wallet. This will turn out to be an expensive choice.
--
George Eberhardt
(732)224-8988
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