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I lived in the Southern California mountains. For those who are unaware, yes, that means snow. Winter temps down to the low 20s(f). In summer, it seldom got ove

I lived in the Southern California mountains. For those who are unaware, yes, that means snow. Winter temps down to the low 20s(f). In summer, it seldom got over 90s. It was the house I grew up in, and I purchased it from my dad. Because it was an FHA loan, we had to have a heating/cooling unit installed, so we had a heat pump added. Aside from being absolutely hideous, the unit was utter shit. The "heat" was mostly cold air in winter. The pump would turn on, and ducts' air was cold (being outside and all), cooling off the house MORE when it was already freezing. Eventually some lukewarm air would come in until the unit got too hot and would turn off, again pushing colder air back into the house. And in summer, the cool air was nowhere sufficient to cool the house. Your only bet would be to keep it on all day with all drapes closed, lights off, do not cook, and don't move around too much. To contrast this, we generally used a wood stove to heat the house. A few logs would keep the house nearly uncomfortably warm for hours. In the summer, we ran an evaporative/swamp cooler. As long as there were no thunderstorms, the house was very pleasant. I cannot be convinced that heat pumps are the way to go.

AnthonyMouse 6y ago
It sounds like you had some kind of compliance system that was low-quality or not big enough for your needs. Heat pumps and air conditioners are the same technology, you just make the hot side the inside instead of the outside. They're how your freezer works, but in reverse. Their main limitation is that they aren't effective in extreme cold. To pump heat there needs to be some to begin with. But most populated areas don't get that cold too often and they can be backed up by resistive heaters for the couple of nights a year when it is.
- rudedogg 6y ago
  > Their main limitation is that they aren't effective in extreme cold. I've researched this a lot since I want to install one and live in a cold climate. The new ones can put out a lot of heat at low temperatures. As an example, see the linked "AHRI Certificate" for the product below. It states: - 11,800 BTU/h at 47 degrees fahrenheit - 7,800 BTU/h at 17 degrees fahrenheit I feel like I've even seen some that say they put out 100% of the rated heat at like 5 degrees fahrenheit. You have to make sure you get a cold weather one, with a base pan heater. They're usually more expensive. Here's one I've looked at for reference. It costs $300 more than the less extreme temperatures one. I don't think it comes with a base pan heater, but I'm not sure: https://senville.com/12000-btu-mini-split-air-conditioner-sena-12hf/ https://senville.com/12000-btu-mini-split-air-conditioner-se...
lsllc 6y ago
I have a friend who just installed a modern air source heat pump in a new build in Mass at the end of last year and he's pretty happy with it so far. The tech has improved significantly in recent years -- up until recently, they were not recommended north of DELMARVA.

AnthonyMouse 6y ago

It sounds like you had some kind of compliance system that was low-quality or not big enough for your needs. Heat pumps and air conditioners are the same technology, you just make the hot side the inside instead of the outside. They're how your freezer works, but in reverse. Their main limitation is that they aren't effective in extreme cold. To pump heat there needs to be some to begin with. But most populated areas don't get that cold too often and they can be backed up by resistive heaters for the couple of nights a year when it is.

rudedogg 6y ago
> Their main limitation is that they aren't effective in extreme cold. I've researched this a lot since I want to install one and live in a cold climate. The new ones can put out a lot of heat at low temperatures. As an example, see the linked "AHRI Certificate" for the product below. It states: - 11,800 BTU/h at 47 degrees fahrenheit - 7,800 BTU/h at 17 degrees fahrenheit I feel like I've even seen some that say they put out 100% of the rated heat at like 5 degrees fahrenheit. You have to make sure you get a cold weather one, with a base pan heater. They're usually more expensive. Here's one I've looked at for reference. It costs $300 more than the less extreme temperatures one. I don't think it comes with a base pan heater, but I'm not sure: https://senville.com/12000-btu-mini-split-air-conditioner-sena-12hf/ https://senville.com/12000-btu-mini-split-air-conditioner-se...

lsllc 6y ago

I have a friend who just installed a modern air source heat pump in a new build in Mass at the end of last year and he's pretty happy with it so far. The tech has improved significantly in recent years -- up until recently, they were not recommended north of DELMARVA.