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Heat Pump Vs A.C.

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Posted by veloguru (My Page) on
Sun, Feb 5, 12 at 9:32

Hi, I am currently adding two additions to my raised ranch in NY. I have spray foamed all walls and attics and have high end windows and doors. My current heat is electric baseboard and i have no central A.C.
I am trying to decide weather to install an A.C. only unit or a Heat Pump. My questions are:Does the fact that all ductwork will be in attic ( ceiling registers ) reduce the winter efficiency of the heat pump vs being in the floor?. I understand there is an outside thermostat that can be used with a gas furnace to switch off the heat pump below a set temperature, but how would something like that work with electric baseboard? Would the heat pump simply shut off at say 35 degrees and the room t-stats take over? Or is there another way to combine the two heat sources automatically? Any help would be appreciated.

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RE: Heat Pump Vs A.C.

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While ductwork in the attic will reduce the efficiency, it still will be better than baseboard down way below 35. Ideally, you would have the baseboards take over when the heat pump couldn't keep up. So set the baseboards at 68 degrees and the heatpump at 70 degrees. But you still need a defrost mechanism which means electric strips with the heat pump. So you raise the question of why keep the baseboards. Most people dump them when they install the heatpump. Sure, they are a little more efficient than the backup strips but you are talking a small difference.

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