Upgrade to 15 seer???

10 years ago

Good day all, I will try to provide as much info as possible as to help in hopefully receiving some advice regarding our question.
We are building a house in central MD. The 1st and 2nd floors combined are 2800 SF with another 1500 SF of basement SF of which 1000 SF will be finished at a later date to make a total living space of 3800 SF. Currently our electric cost is .09 KWH and $2.25 / gal. for LP (natural gas not available). We are planning on installing a 13 seer HP for the primary heat for the basement and 1st floor with LP as back up and a 13 seer HP for the primary on the 2nd floor. Fyi, ext. walls are 2x6 w/ R21 batt, basement walls have R11 and attic area will have R49 blown insulation.

Now that I have bored you with all the details my question is will it be worth the upfront cost to upgrade to 15 seer HP's for both units and besides energy savings will the 15 seer units have any impact on the comfort of our home over the 13 seer units.

Thanks in advance for the help.

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Comments (4)

mike_home
10 years ago
It is a difficult question to answer. In general the 15-16 SEER rating is some what of the sweet spot for value. You would have to calculate the pay back period of the extra charge versus how much you would save each year. Since these are heat pumps, you could also compare the heating performance for additional savings.

Do you know the cost of the upgrade? I often read home builders charge a big premium on HVAC upgrade. If you upgraded both systems I am not sure if you will ever see a payback. Get the details of the brand and model numbers of all equipment.

Usually 15 SEER heat pumps require a variable speed furnace or air handler. So you would get an added benefit of comfort in addition to annual savings.
tigerdunes
10 years ago
Yes, I would upgrade to a 15 SEER HP with minimum 9.00 HSPF efficiency rating, especially since this will be your primary source of heat.

Here are the results of fuel comparison calculator.

Cost per 100,000 btu of useable heat
Electric baseboard: $2.37
Heat pump: $0.96
Propane: $2.59

You will note straight electric resistant heat is cheaper than propane. Your call though. If going with propane backup, I would want at a minimum 2 stg var speed model furnace with 95+% efficiency.

Since this is new construction I would consider one premium system with zoning controls for each zone.

IMO

This post was edited by tigerdunes on Mon, Oct 7, 13 at 10:18
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notthatguy
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks for all the feedback.
I am being told that the upgrade to the 15 seer units and a variable speed air handler will be approx. $4K.(not sure whether this is overly expensive or not)
any thoughts on the payback time or does anyone know of a site that has an energy usage calculator.

Thanks again for the time
tigerdunes
10 years ago
I have given you your fuel cost comparisons. The calculator clearly makes a strong case for going all electric. That's up to you. Ask your dealer for the operational cost numbers. This would be based on your location/climate, your new home's design/size and building and insulation qualities. Perhaps your utilities can help you on this. Most major utilities have residential specialists on their staff.

Good Luck!

IMO