4 ms·

I tried to get a heat pump but asinine local regs require five full feet of setback from property line to the edge of the external condenser. I'm not willing to

I tried to get a heat pump but asinine local regs require five full feet of setback from property line to the edge of the external condenser. I'm not willing to spend $15k upgrading my connection just to get electric resistive heat, so I had to get a new gas furnace instead. Also, why are heat pumps so hideously expensive? I was quoted $35k, not including the electrical upgrades. A plain AC is half that but it's virtually the same mechanical equipment.

toomuchtodo 4y ago
That price is ridiculous. I just had a combo high efficiency 4 ton heat pump with backup natural gas furnace in an Illinois property for $17k.
dashundchen 4y ago
Unless your house is ridiculously large I think you were given a sky high quote because the contractor didn't want to the job. I paid less that half of that for a full ground source geo heat system a few years ago. Heat pumps are typically more complicated to install and size properly. You can throw an oversized gas furnace in any house for fat profits and no real HVAC design. Contractors that aren't wanting for business can give you ludacris estimates for jobs they're not interested in. If you take it, great, they make a lot of money, if not they can schedule someone else or push you into an easier job for them. I ran into this with a concrete job I needed done recently. The contractors were all booked a year or more out, and were quoting $20k+ for a normal concrete driveway. I found a paver installer who seemed much less busy, was able to do a full paver job for way under the slab pourers!
- kemiller 4y ago
  I’ve got several quotes over the years and afaict it’s just like this in California now. It’s maddening.
- oblio 4y ago
  > ludacris estimates Ludicrous :-)))
jeffnappi 4y ago
Did you get multiple quotes? The "premium" contractors will commonly quote something sky high, but if you get another quote they'll commonly price match. I negotiated a HP install from a preferred contractor from $18k down to $9k with a price match earlier this year.

toomuchtodo 4y ago

That price is ridiculous. I just had a combo high efficiency 4 ton heat pump with backup natural gas furnace in an Illinois property for $17k.

dashundchen 4y ago

Unless your house is ridiculously large I think you were given a sky high quote because the contractor didn't want to the job. I paid less that half of that for a full ground source geo heat system a few years ago. Heat pumps are typically more complicated to install and size properly. You can throw an oversized gas furnace in any house for fat profits and no real HVAC design. Contractors that aren't wanting for business can give you ludacris estimates for jobs they're not interested in. If you take it, great, they make a lot of money, if not they can schedule someone else or push you into an easier job for them. I ran into this with a concrete job I needed done recently. The contractors were all booked a year or more out, and were quoting $20k+ for a normal concrete driveway. I found a paver installer who seemed much less busy, was able to do a full paver job for way under the slab pourers!

kemiller 4y ago
I’ve got several quotes over the years and afaict it’s just like this in California now. It’s maddening.
oblio 4y ago
> ludacris estimates Ludicrous :-)))

jeffnappi 4y ago

Did you get multiple quotes? The "premium" contractors will commonly quote something sky high, but if you get another quote they'll commonly price match. I negotiated a HP install from a preferred contractor from $18k down to $9k with a price match earlier this year.